Virtual systems for spatial organization, navigation, and presentation of information

ABSTRACT

Organizing information around a specific spatial domain facilitates managing objects presented in visualization layers of the spatial domain. A first portion of a first program for organizing and mapping information around a specific spatial domain is executed by a first virtual system that is created in a program execution environment operable on a network server. In response to the first virtual system invoking a continuation, a second virtual system is created to execute a second portion of the first program. Invoking the continuation in the program execution environment facilitates each of the first and second virtual systems providing only the capabilities necessary to execute their respective portion of the first program. Optionally, executing the first program includes interpreting the first program with a second program.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/365,523, filed Feb. 3, 2012, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/365,523, filedFeb. 3, 2012, is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/104,067,filed May 10, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/104,067 is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/437,013, filed May 7, 2009, which isincorporated herein in its entirety. U.S. application Ser. No.12/437,013 claims the benefit of the following provisional applications,each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/051,052 filed May 7, 2008, U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/079,565 filed Jul. 10, 2008, andU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/122,163 filed Dec. 12, 2008.U.S. application Ser. No. 12/437,013 is a continuation in part of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/865,265 filed Oct. 1, 2007, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S. application Ser.No. 11/865,265 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/827,516 filed Sep. 29, 2006, which is hereby incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This disclosure relates to the field of web-based services and moreparticularly to providing technology for the distributed processing,spatial organization, and web-based display of information.

2. Description of the Related Art

The World Wide Web has proven to be one of the most powerfultechnologies available today. Users interact with the web by executingcertain actions on browser windows, which display the requestedinformation in a variety of formats. A need exists to spatially organizeand visually display this information using a variety of differentspatial domains and visual renderings, while dramatically enhancing theinteractivity of the user experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Described herein are methods and systems that enable the organization ofinformation around a specific spatial domain. Further described hereinare methods and systems for managing objects presented in visualizationlayers of a variety of spatial domains. The methods and systems mayinclude methods and systems for associating an object with one or morespatial domains; presenting the object in a plurality of navigablevisualization layers with dimensions that correspond to the dimensionsof the spatial domain, the visualization layers having a navigationscheme for navigating within and among the visualization layers, whereinthe visualization layers conform to a published application programminginterface; assigning the object at least one attribute associated with avirtual property right in at least one spatial domain; and upon a userinteraction with the object in the visualization layer, presentinginformation associated with the virtual property right(s) of the object.

Described herein are methods and systems for identifying a first spatialdomain, associating a plurality of objects with the spatial domain,presenting the objects in a plurality of navigable visualization layerswith dimensions that correspond to the dimensions of the spatial domain,the visualization layers having a navigation scheme for navigatingwithin and among the visualization layers, wherein the visualizationlayers conform to a published map application programming interface,assigning the object at least one attribute associated with at least onevirtual property right and upon a user interaction with the object inthe visualization layer, presenting information associated with thevirtual property right(s). Embodiments may further include methods andsystems for creating, manipulating, updating, and changing informationusing a distributed computation engine. Embodiments may further includemethods and systems for tracking a use of the virtual property right inorder to attribute a value to the use of the virtual property right. Inembodiments an owner of the virtual property right receivesconsideration upon usage of the virtual property right.

The methods and systems herein may effectively present resources of anynetworked environment, such as the internet, as a virtual computingplatform. An interactive visual presentation, such as on a computingfacility human interface, may provide an intuitive, responsive,web-based direct-manipulation user interface to this virtual platform.

These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and advantages ofthe present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and thedrawings. All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated intheir entirety by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and the following detailed description of certainembodiments thereof may be understood by reference to the followingfigures:

FIG. 1 depicts a set of linked visualization layers that supportpresentation of objects that have one or more spatial domains; one ormore Zeetix maps, a Zeetix Raster Image Processor.

FIG. 2 depicts high-level components of a system that supports thelayers and objects of FIG. 1, as well as various relationships amongsuch internal and external system components and entities.

FIG. 3 depicts a visualization of objects including a selection ofobjects to visualize.

FIG. 4 depicts detailed information overlaying the embodiment of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 depicts a mapping visualization of objects overlaying otherobjects.

FIG. 6 depicts a mapping visualization of a layer showing objectsoverlaying different objects.

FIG. 7 depicts a detailed mapping visualization of a layer showingobjects in close spatial proximity.

FIG. 8 depicts a detailed mapping visualization of a plot plan object.

FIG. 9 depicts a ticketing ZeeGuide.

FIG. 10 depicts the ZeeGuide of FIG. 9 with an overlay ZeeWindow.

FIG. 11 depicts a restaurant ZeeGuide with a restaurant overlayZeeWindow.

FIG. 12 depicts a ZeeGuide for selecting a seat in venue.

FIG. 13 shows a sporting event related ZeeGuide.

FIG. 14 depicts a travel and entertainment Zeetix scenario.

FIG. 15 depicts a patent family ZeeGuide.

FIG. 16 depicts a disease and corresponding patents ZeeGuide.

FIG. 17 depicts a biological pathway ZeeGuide.

FIG. 18 depicts a genome ZeeGuide.

FIG. 19 depicts a probe selection ZeeGuide.

FIG. 20 depicts a personal genomic ZeeGuide.

FIG. 21 depicts sharing medical imaging information through ZeeGuides.

FIG. 22 depicts histological slides in a ZeeGuide

FIG. 23 depicts geographically dispersed contributors sharing commentarythrough a ZeeGuide.

FIG. 24 depicts links between and among Zeetices.

FIG. 25 depicts an Enterprise Application Suite (EAS) operationsZeeGuide.

FIG. 26 depicts detailed EAS ZeeWindows overlaying the ZeeGuide of FIG.25.

FIG. 27 depicts information sharing in an EAS scenario.

FIG. 28 depicts a hyperlocal publishing ZeeGuide.

FIG. 29 depicts an unfolding hyperlocal publishing story ZeeGuide.

FIG. 30 depicts the relationship among data in a ZeeStore, a ZeeTile,and a ZeeMap.

FIG. 31 depicts relationships among objects and ZeeTiles.

FIG. 32 depicts the recursively layered composition of ZeeTiles.

FIG. 33 depicts a ZeeGuide showing supplier locations

FIG. 34 depicts a manager using the ZeeGuide of FIG. 33 to arrange alunch or dinner meeting.

FIG. 35 depicts a Supply Chain Management ZeeGuide

FIG. 36 depicts another ZeeGuide showing detail of a step in FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 depicts a tagged item moving through a process represented inthe ZeeGuide in FIG. 36

FIG. 38 depicts a Zeeguide showing ownership interests in organizations

FIG. 39 depicts a ZeeGuide resulting from selecting a marker on theZeeGuide described in FIG. 38

FIG. 40 depicts an organization information view of a company that hasbeen zoomed in on as described in FIG. 39.

FIG. 41 depicts a partner ZeeGuide.

FIG. 42 a distributor view ZeeGuide.

FIG. 43 depicts elements of recursive editing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As used herein, the term “ZeeObject™” or “Zeetix Object” will be used toencompass a brand of object that has or may be associated with one ormore defined spatial domains (which in embodiments may be arbitrarilydefined) and that may be presented in one or more visualization layers,such layers being optionally navigable via a user interface and beingoptionally linked to permit navigation among the layers.

As used herein, the term “Mashup” or “Generic Mashup” will be used toencompass a website, “Web 2.0 application,” web service, domain, orsimilar content domain that uses content from more than one source tocreate a combined content item, such as a new website, new service, newapplication, or the like.

As used herein, the term “Zeetix™” or “Zeetix Mashup,” will be used toencompass a brand of object, such as a mash-up or similar object, thathas one or more spatial domains (which may be arbitrarily defined) andthat may be presented in one or more visualization layers, such layersbeing optionally navigable via a user interface and being optionallylinked to permit navigation among the layers, and that is also comprisedof one or more Zeetix objects, as described above. Every Zeetix orZeetix Mashup is also a Zeetix object.

As used herein, the term “ZeeMap™” or “Zeetix Map” shall encompass oneor more images accompanying a visualization layer within a spatialdomain. A ZeeMap may optionally be of arbitrary dimension, such thatspatial coordinates within the spatial domain map to locations withinthe ZeeMap. A ZeeMap may be supported by a collection of web-basedelements built upon a published map application programming interface,such as, but not limited to, the Google Map Application ProgrammingInterface (“API”), but a ZeetixMap is conceptually independent from theunderlying rendering technology. Some, but not all, ZeeMap images areprovided by Google and delivered via the Google API. Others are providedby a variety of sources and delivered to the user by the Google API.Finally, some ZeetixMaps are provided by a variety of sources and may bedelivered to the user without the use of a published map API.

Thus, a Zeetix may, in embodiments, encompass a collection ofinformation organized around a spatial domain, which may be around ageographical location in a real geography or a virtual geography, andall human-made constructs on it. For example, one common spatial domainis geography, such as maps and images of the earth's surface. Ageographic Zeetix may show store locations for a franchise business,listing locations for a realtor, or police stations for a municipality.Another spatial domain may be a visualization of a specific biologicalpathway, containing annotation on potential drug targets, signaltransduction cascades, disease pathways, biomarkers for diagnosticopportunities, or cellular localization for a metabolic pathway. A thirdspatial domain may be a genomic map of a particular organism showing thelocations of gene variants, conserved regions, and similar annotations.Other spatial domains described herein or understood by those ofordinary skill in the art are encompassed herein and may be applicableto Zeetix objects, such as domains used in logical trees andhierarchies, network architectures, organization charts, graphs(including directed graphs), production pipelines, architecturaldrawings and blueprints, building designs, business locations,anatomical locations within a person, animal or plant, visualizations ofa business process, production process, workflow, computer system ornetwork, or the like.

As used herein, the term “ZeetixDomain™” shall mean a distinguishedspatial domain that is a synthesized visualization (which may beassociated with an arbitrarily defined spatial domain) of objectentities in an environment, such that an object entity has a location inthis spatial domain. In embodiments, the ZeetixDomain may include everysuch object, so that every object has a location in the domain. Inembodiments every ZeeObject thus has a location in the ZeetixDomain inaddition to any other spatial domain it may be associated with. AZeeDomain may be represented with a custom ZeeMap. The ZeetixDomain maybe presented in one or more Zeetices or Zeetix Mashups.

As used herein, the term “ZeeGuide™” or “Zeetix Guide” will be used toencompass one or more ZeeMaps and/or Zeetices, together with software,including user interface software, that associates information, data,and programs, including but not limited to ZeeObjects with one or moreZeeMaps and/or Zeetices in one or more ZeeDomains. A ZeeGuide may beconsidered as an interactive counterpart to an electronic document, suchas those created with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. A ZeeGuide mayoptionally be web-based.

Thus, in embodiments, a ZeeGuide might be presented in a window of webbrowser, divided into one pane that contains the ZeeMap and another panethat contains a tree of widgets that allows the user to manipulate theZeeMap and the information presented within it.

As used herein, the term “ZeeTool™”, or “Zeetix Development Tool”, shallmean a tool (which may include a Zeetix, a software tool, a service(including a web service), a program, or the like) (optionallyassociated with one or more ZeetixDomains) and used to create, delete,browse, modify, manipulate, store, search, transmit, receive, query,view, or otherwise interact with any ZeeObject. A ZeeTool includes, butis not limited to, entities that correspond to more conventionaldevelopment tools such as compilers, editors, debuggers, inspectors,report generators, database tools, services, web services, loggingtools, version management tools, search tools, query tools, and similartools.

Any Zeetix can be combined with any other Zeetix that shares a commonspatial domain. This ability to synthesize “composite” Zeetices enablesa rich variety of user experiences. For example, one Zeetix mightprovide an interactive store location map for Starbucks. Another Zeetixmay provide an interactive map of municipal services such as bus stops,subway stations, and parking garages. The user can integrate these intoa single Zeetix showing which bus stop, subway station, or parkinggarage is closest to a particular Starbucks location. An embodiment ofthese relationships is illustrated in FIG. 1.

In other embodiments a Zeetix may be combined with another Zeetix thathas a different spatial domain, where the domains are linked, such as byvisual presentation of the different spatial domains in proximity toeach other. For example, a Zeetix showing an organization of retailstores within a company's hierarchy of retail stores may be associatedwith a geographical Zeetix that shows the physical locations of thestores.

As used herein, the term “ZDE™” or “Zeetix Development Environment”shall mean an environment (itself optionally a Zeetix) including one ormore arbitrarily interconnected ZeetixTools sharing any number ofZeetixDomains. For example, one ZeetixTool might be a Python languagecode source-code browser, allowing a developer to create and edit Zeetixclasses and methods expressed in the Python Language. Another ZeetixToolmight be a debugger, allowing a developer to single-step through theexecution of a particular method, showing the source code line-by-line,current values of variables and parameters, and presenting othervisualizations of local and global system state. A developer can thenintegrate these into a single ZDE, allowing the developer to create,edit, and debug source code within the same ZDE, in embodiments allthrough a web browser.

A Zeetix may be enabled by a variety of technology platforms, includingplatforms for networked computing, such as network technologies(including broadband, wireless, LAN, WAN, Internet and other networktechnologies), computer technologies (such as computer systems thatsupport high-performance graphical user interfaces), databasetechnologies, computer programming technologies, such as cross-platformand cross-browser support for standard, non-proprietary, and expressiveclient-side scripting languages, technologies that support asynchronouscommunication between browsers and servers, allowing user interaction tooccur in parallel with server communication, and technologies thatsupport widespread availability of audio, video, and high-resolutionstill imagery.

A Zeetix may be supported by a collection of web-based elements builtupon a published map application programming interface, such as, but notlimited to, the Google Map Application Programming Interface (“API”),but Zeetix is conceptually independent from the underlying renderingtechnology. A Zeetix may be built by JavaScript within a web browser andmay communicate via a common data format (e.g. eXtensible MarkupLanguage (“XML”), RSS, HTML, or other data format) with a choice of anyserver-side programming language.

Zeetix may be maintained in several different ways, including through adevelopment corporation and its franchisees, such as in a hostedcomputing or application server model of distribution. Zeetix users mayhave the ability to create a Zeetix server and cache, thus allowingZeetix to service that community.

In certain embodiments, a Zeetix is an object-based method and system inwhich each ZeeObject may have one or more optionally immutable“versions”. A version of a ZeeObject may be created by dynamicallychanging an earlier version of the same ZeeObject or by creating analtogether new ZeeObject. This allows each version of each ZeeObject tobe freely copied and cached. When a ZeeObject needs to change, a newversion is optionally created to hold the resulting change. Thus,changes ripple through the distributed environment like waves throughwater. Producers publish changes by issuing a new set of versions.Consumers receive changes by choosing to load the new set, but inembodiments older sets can be always available. Versions may beassociated with tags, hypertext links, metadata or other components toallow for recognition of attributes of particular versions, such as theauthor, date of creation, purpose, owner, or other attributes.

Each ZeeObject version optionally has a globally unique, persistentidentifier of arbitrary length (a “ZeeTicket™”). In embodiments a Zeetixincludes a collection of ZeeTickets. In embodiments Zeetix objects areconstructed so that no two Zeetix objects have the same ZeeTicket. Inembodiments a Zeetix object may be made persistent, so that once issued,a ZeeTicket and the object it identifies continue to be available.Physical constraints of the material world mean that for someZeeTickets, the access time for the ZeeObject identified by a ZeeTicketmight be arbitrarily long. For example, a human operator might need tolocate and load an offline storage volume from an archival facility inorder to respond to a request for a ZeeObject with an old and seldomreferenced ZeeTicket.

A ZeeObject may be stored in a data storage facility, termed a Zeetixobject store, or ZeeStore™, which may consist of a repository ofZeeObjects, optionally referenced by ZeeTickets. Each ZeeStore is itselfan object and therefore has a ZeeTicket. A ZeeStore may contain objectsthat are copied from one or more other ZeeStores. In embodiments aZeeStore may also contain new versions of ZeeObjects copied from one ormore other ZeeStores. A ZeeStore may also contain newly constructedobjects. In embodiments each new ZeeStore arises from an existingZeeStore.

A ZeeObject cache, or ZeeCache™, may be a ZeeStore that does not createZeeTickets or ZeeObjects. A ZeeCache may, for example, exist only inmemory, or it may use some form of storage.

A Zeetix virtual system, or ZeeSys™, may optionally encompass anabstract system that exists only to execute a fragment of a program orprocess. A “process” creates a context within a specific physical systemfor a given program to execute. The process is created for that program(by a shell, for example) and disappears when the program terminates. AZeetix Virtual System may optionally be an entire system created toexecute a given process. A ZeeSys may be created in order to run thatprocess and optionally disappear when the process finishes.

A program or process that requires capabilities not provided by anexisting ZeeSys may be supported by the creation of a new ZeeSys “above”the first, such that the new ZeeSys provides the necessary capabilities.A dynamic “tower” of ZeeSys instances may be thus formed, each providingcapabilities different from the ZeeSys instances above or below it inthis “tower.” The term “level-shifting” refers to operations that shiftexecution up or down the levels of this ZeeSys tower. This ZeeSys towerthus may escape the limitation of a conventional virtual machine, suchas the Java or dot-net virtual machines, which provides arelatively-fixed “greatest common denominator” of capabilities andcannot support programs or procedures that require capabilities notincluded in the virtual machine.

As used herein, the term Continuation, as context permits, should beunderstood to encompass a representation of the execution state of aprogram (for example, the “call-stack” or values of variables) at acertain point.

A ZeeSys is optionally a level-shifting processor that runs a program byexplicitly running another program that interprets the first. The ZeeSysis optionally based on continuations, so each stage of a computationneeds just enough resources to compute that stage and then invoke acontinuation implicitly or explicitly associated with it.

The ZeeSys is optionally a causally reflective environment thatoptionally, like Java, contains a description of itself and, likeSmalltalk, derives its behavior from its description of itself. Changingthe self-description of a causally reflective environment changes thebehavior of the environment. Changing the self-description of anenvironment like Java simply breaks the environment.

Combined with the ZeeStore, and exploiting the optional immutability ofZeeObject versions, a ZeeSys is thus maximally portable and scalable.Since Zeetix is optionally a pure object system, and since everydistributed ZeeObject version is immutable, a ZeeSys can be instantiatedwhenever and wherever the necessary ZeeObjects are available.

Execution of a program or process within a ZeeSys may be more modularthan in existing virtual machines. Creation of a ZeeSys is lightweightand fast. Thus, execution of an arbitrary number of programs orprocesses may be arbitrarily distributed among an arbitrary number ofoptionally-interconnected physical computer systems across the web.Zeetix thus optionally employs directed-graph computing, an alternativeto grid computing through its creation of a distributed computationengine with globally unique persistent identifiers.

A Zeetix Engine™ may encompass the combination of one or more ZeeSysinstances operating on an arbitrary number of ZeeObjects provided by anarbitrary number of optionally interconnected ZeeStore instances and, incertain embodiments, running on an arbitrary number of optionallyinterconnected physical computer systems distributed throughout the web.

In embodiments, browsers or servers can run as much or as little of oneor more Zeetix Engines as they need, on a per-process, per-program, oreven per-task basis. Thus, the effect is that the entire web becomes oneor more emergent Zeetix engines, constantly adapting, evolving andtuning itself or themselves to the dynamic requirements of its users,hosting providers, and communication capabilities.

A “ZeeTrans™” or “Zeetix Transformer” as described herein may encompassan arbitrary number of arbitrarily interconnected programs or processesthat convert one language representation of an entity into another. Thetransformation may use conventional data transformation techniques, suchas parsing techniques, bridge-type data transformation techniques,message brokers, message queues, metabrokers, and the like.

A “ZeeBinding™” or “Zeetix Binding” as described herein shall encompassa binding, such as a Zeetix transformer that converts, where possible,between a canonical description language and a programming language,such as but not limited to Java, Javascript, Perl, Python, Smalltalk,Lisp, or any other language, together with the entities including, butnot limited to, the data structures, memory, processes, objects,methods, classes and similar components that comprise a Zeetix. Inembodiments a ZeeBinding may be a viewpoint or representation of aZeetix or ZeeEngine, as opposed to a conversion or traversal of theentire Zeetix or ZeeEngine.

Through a Canonical Description Language (“CDL”) or similar descriptionlanguage and various ZeeBindings, a developer may use his or herprogramming language of choice, thus bootstrapping the growth of avibrant developer community. For example, a Python developer could use aPython ZeeBinding, dynamically created by a Python language ZeeTransapplied to a ZeetixEngine such that the Python developer views theZeetixEngine and all of its components in Python. A second developercould use a JavaScript ZeeBinding, dynamically created by a Javascriptlanguage ZeeTrans applied to the same ZeetixEngine such that theJavascript developer views the same ZeetixEngine and all of itscomponents in Javascript. The Python and Javascript ZeeBindings bindingallow the Python developer and Javascript developer equivalent,simultaneous and parallel access to ZeetixEngine's functionality. Thisequivalent, simultaneous, and parallel access specifically includes, butis not limited to, creating, editing, updating, and otherwise modifyingdata structures and code that is simultaneously visible to eachdeveloper.

Owing to its architecture, Zeetix can be accessed through any interfacesupporting a web client, including desktop and mobile devices. Indeed,some of the above examples are most powerful in a mobile context.

FIG. 1 describes how a Zeetix is comprised of one or more overlaylayers, each viewing one or more Zeetix Maps that may, in turn, beprocessed by a Zeetix Raster Image Processor. Each Zeetix is comprisedof Zeetix objects. Each Zeetix object 116 may have one or more visualrepresentations that are rendered at specific locations on one or moreoverlay layers, as well as optionally being rendered on one or moreZeetix Maps. Each Zeetix object is optionally identified by a ZeeTicket114. A Zeetix may be capable of a layer-to-layer navigation systembecause of the logical associations between layers 112. Multiple layerswithin the same spatial domain can be simultaneously represented withina Zeetix. The spatial coordinate system allows the user to zoom in orout 104, pan the view horizontally or vertically 102, rotate and tilt108, and link to different views 110. That is, the Zeetix allowsnavigation within the entire spatial domain defined by various spatialcoordinates (e.g. x, y . . . ), and between layered representationscontaining different forms of information 118 (e.g. between the layersdefined by x and y and the layers defined by i and ii and the layersdefined by a and b). These spatial coordinates include x-y or x-y-zcoordinates, latitude-longitude coordinates, spherical, true map,project map, video/photo, gene pathways, patent trees, and Mercatorprojections, among others.

A ZeeMap may be created for use within Zeetix by an image manipulationfacility termed a “ZeeRIP™” or “Zeetix Raster Image Processor”. A ZeeRIPmay consist of an arbitrary number of interconnected programs,processes, and other computer resources. A ZeeRIP accepts an arbitrarynumber of images to be processed, provides an arbitrary number of input,output, control and status interfaces, and produces a collection ofrelated images suitable for presentation to the user in a browser,desktop application, or other suitable presentation technology. A ZeeRIPmay specifically emit image “tiles”, at varying image resolutions,compatible with the “custom map” provisions of the Google Map API, but aZeeRIP is conceptually independent from the requirements andspecifications of the programs or processes that consume its output orprovide its input. A ZeeRIP is specifically intended to encompass thepreparation of video or other animated output media.

An arbitrary number of the rich variety of web interfaces provided andsupported by Zeetix may be created using a ZeeBuilder™ or “Zeetix SiteBuilder”. As used herein, the term ZeeBuilder encompasses an arbitrarynumber of interconnected programs, processes, and other computerresources that create, edit, and maintain the contents of web-basedelements such as web sites, web pages, and web services. A ZeeBuildershall specifically emit web sites constructed from standards-compliantxhtml, css, javascript, and similar languages and formats, but aZeeBuilder is conceptually independent from the elements, languages andformats it emits. In certain embodiments, a ZeeBuilder may reflect andmaintain the underlying structure of the collection of pages thatcomprise a site, such that it maintains certain constraints among them,including but not limited to, margin settings, styles, font choices, andany other web design element. In certain embodiments, a ZeeBuilder mayoptionally be comprised of one or more ZeeSys instances, ZeeObjects, andmay itself be a Zeetix Mashup. A ZeeBuilder may optionally be part of orincluded in a ZDE.

ZeeBuilder may optionally use, emit, or be controlled by an externalfile, data structure, or information stream. In embodiments, this streammay optionally be formatted as xml, and may be read and written byexternal programs such as, but not limited to, Microsoft Visio 2003.ZeeBuilder may construct or use data structures analogous to MicrosoftVisio “Shapesheet” instances, and may construct or use ZeeObjects thatcorrespond to them. Thus, external drawing programs such as, but notlimited to, Microsoft Visio may optionally be used to create,manipulate, and update the various resources generated by ZeeBuilder,including but not limited to web sites, web services, and other xhtml orcss resources.

As used herein, the term “ZeeString™” or “Zeetix String” shall encompassan arbitrary number of possibly interconnected objects that, takentogether, emit a set of consecutive characters that dynamically modeland reflect certain constraints among those characters and among groupsof those characters. A ZeeString may be a “Primitive ZeeString”, meaningthat has no underlying structure, or it may be a “Composite ZeeString”,meaning that it is comprised of an arbitrary number of either Compositeor Primitive ZeeStrings. A ZeeString may be comprised of ZeeObjects, anda ZeeString may itself be a ZeeObject.

In certain embodiments, one or more of the components that comprise aComposite ZeeString may be either a “piece” or a “token”. A “piece” is aZeeString, either composite or primitive, that may optionally besequentially combined with other pieces or divided into additionalpieces, without changing the sequence of characters emitted by theComposite ZeeString that it is part of. A “token” is a ZeeString, eithercomposite or primitive, that may be optionally replaced by anotherZeeString while the Composite ZeeString that is part of is emitting itssequence of characters.

A ZeeString may thus, under the control of an arbitrary number ofinternal or external “markup” syntaxes, including but not limited toxml, xslt, and similar markup languages, be viewed as a modulartemplated string, with arbitrarily deep object structure. The tokens ina ZeeString may optionally, under the control of an arbitrary number ofpossibly interconnected programs and processes, be replaced with otherZeeStrings.

The markup of a ZeeString instance can thus be derived from theZeeString, and vice-versa, given arbitrary external markup syntax.

The markup and subsequent processing of a ZeeString is thus independentfrom the contents and results of particular markup syntax. The sameZeeString instance will emit the same set of consecutive characters andhave the same markup, whether the syntax of that markup is expressed inxml, xhtml, or some other arbitrary syntax.

In certain embodiments, the structure of a ZeeString is well-suited forstoring components of a composite ZeeString in a ZeeStore, relationaldatabase, file system, or other data storage facility, while theZeeString itself is stored in a different data storage facility. This,in turn, means that the components that comprise a ZeeString may bereadily accessible to and by web-based search engines, specificallyincluding but not limited to the Google search engine, while theZeeString itself is in a data storage facility that is inaccessible toany search engine.

The relationships between the ZeeStores, Zeetix Virtual Systems,ZeeEngines, Zeetix users, and Zeetix developers are illustrated in FIG.2. ZeeTickets can originate from various data facilities, such as theuser's own data 228, other ZeeStores 230, or other information sources224. Within a ZeeEngine, these ZeeTickets identify and reference theZeeObjects detailed in FIG. 1. ZeeTickets are processed by any numberZeetix Virtual Systems. A ZeeEngine may also comprise an applicationserver that handles analysis, communication, and transactions 202; anynumber of ZeeCaches 204; any number of ZeeRIPS 206, any number ofZeeBuilders 208, any number of ZeeStrings 210, facilities for security212 and administration 214; and any number of web servers 216.

A Zeetix Virtual System may contain separate interfaces for developers224 and end users 222. The developer interface 218, including one ormore ZDEs, may consist of one or more ZeeTrans or ZeeBindings that allowthe developer to work within one or more preferred programminglanguage(s). Through this developer interface, the developer can createprograms and processes that run on an arbitrary number of Zeetix VirtualSystem instances. The web client interface 220 allows various types ofusers to perform a wide array of user actions on the user's desktop,laptop, mobile device, or other device type. Users encompass consumers,scientists, travelers, homebuyers, renters, students, teachers,advertisers, analysts, and Patent Office employees, among others.

A “ZeeTag™” or “Spatial Tag” as described herein may be a generalizationof a more common “geotag”. A geotag may associate data with a locationin a geographic (e.g. latitude/longitude) coordinate space. Zeetixsupports a concept of a spatial domain, or ZeeDomain as describedherein, of which geography (e.g. geotag) is a single instance. Aconventional geotag may thus be a special-case of a more general ZeeTag.A ZeeTag may be used to associate spatial information in a specificspatial domain with any object (including a ZeeObject), program,information, or other data.

A ZeeTag may include a reference to a specific ZeeDomain, and therebymay contain an arbitrary number of coordinate locations within thatdomain, such as one for each dimension of the domain. A ZeeTag may bedescribed using an xml representation. That xml representation mightinclude a namespace declaration, such as ZeetixLLC and the ZeeTag mightfurther specify a location within the namespace. In an example, aZeeDomain is defined and given a global identifier “Zeetix1234”. TheZeetix1234 spatial domain has three dimensions represented by X, Y, andZ. The spatial domain also references an arbitrary object with aZeeTicket of “zee2345”. An XML representation of a ZeeTag in thisexample may include:

      <span style=“display:none”xmlns:zeetag=“http://www.zeetix.net/zeetag#”>        <zeetag:domain>Zeetix1234</zeetix:domain>        <zeetag:x>424</zeetag:x>         <zeetag:y>242</zeetag:y>        <zeetag:z>456</zeetag:z>        <zeetag:object>zee2345</zeetag:object>       </span>.

The XML representation of the ZeeTag above may persistently identify alocation for the object whose id is “zee2345” at the (x, y, z) tuple of(424, 242, 456) within the zeeDomain whose identifier is ‘Zee1234’.

If ZeeObject “zee2345” were a ZeeMarker, then a Zeelcon for thisZeeMarker would be rendered at the specified (x, y, z) location withinZeetix1234 whenever a ZeeGuide is displayed that references a ZeeMapthat renders this zeeDomain.

A “ZeeStitch™” as described herein may be a reification of arelationship between an arbitrary number of “left-hand” objects and anarbitrary number of “right-hand” objects. A ZeeStitch may allow arelationship between collections of objects to change without changingcontents of the objects that participate in the relationship. AZeeStitch may contain a list of its “left-hand” objects. It may alsocontain another list of its “right-hand” objects.

A ZeeStitch may contain a “left-hand name” that may be a name by whichthe right-hand objects are known to each object in the left-hand list. AZeeStitch may contain a “right-hand name” that may be a name by whichthe left-hand objects are known to each object in the right-hand list.Each instance of ZeeStitch may be used to allow each object in itsleft-hand list to refer to its right-hand objects and vice-versa.

In an example, without limitation, four kinds of ZeeStitch instances areused in embodiments: ZeeManyToOneStitch: Many left-hand objects have arelationship to one right-hand object. ZeeManyToManyStitch: Manyleft-hand objects have a relationship to many right-hand objects.ZeeOneToManyStitch: One left-hand object has a relationship to manyright-hand objects. ZeeOneToOneStitch: One left-hand object has arelationship to one right-hand object.

A “ZeeSpatialStitch” as described herein may be instances of a ZeeStitchthat may allow objects in multiple ZeeDomains to be arbitrarilyinterconnected using instances of ZeeSpatialTags from multiple domains.In an example, a factory may be represented by a geographic ZeeTag in ageographic ZeeGuide of suppliers. The factory may also be represented bya ZeeTag for the same factory in a zeeDomain defined by a visualizationof a distribution network that the factory participates in. AZeeOneToOneStitch might be used to join this factory into bothZeeDomains, so that ZeeGuides in each domain can be readilyinterconnected.

A “ZeeTile™” as described herein may facilitate tiled access toinformation that has an associated spatial component. This informationspecifically includes, but is not limited to, the target of any ZeeTag.Modern web-based interactive maps may use layers of pre-computed imagetiles, stitched together at their edges, to deliver spatially-organizedimagery to browsers. Zeetix may couple information, programs and datawith these interactive maps. The information, programs and data used byZeetix may be kept in a ZeeStore, where it may be arbitrarily associatedwith spatial information. Spatially organized information, programs anddata, when retrieved from a ZeeStore, may often be retrieved at aspatial “grain size” that corresponds to the tiles with which thezeeDomain associated with the data is rendered. A ZeeTile is thus anaggregation of information associated with a specific area within aZeeDomain. A ZeeTile may be pre-computed for more rapid access.

In an exemplary use of a ZeeStore, the results of a spatial query thatcorresponds to an image tile are likely to change infrequently incomparison to requests for that data. Thus, the results of these spatialqueries can be precomputed and cached for timely delivery along with theassociated image tile. A ZeeTile may be associated with a pre-computedspatial query. The data in each zeetix that comprises a ZeeTile may belayered, and so the ZeeTile itself may also be layered. In an example, aZeeTile for a given map tile might be comprised of a hotel tile for thatmap tile, containing just the hotels, a restaurant tile containing justthe restaurants, a hospital tile containing just the hospitals, and soon. An example of a ZeeTile embodiment is described in association withthe embodiment of FIGS. 30-32.

A ZeeCursorWidget or “Zeetix Database Cursor Widget”, as describedherein, is a user interface widget that may provide a visualization ofand control over a database cursor. Database visualization andnavigation may benefit from the methods and systems herein described. Inan example of database visualization, a web-based ZeeCursorWidget mightcontrol queries that return an ordered collection of results thatcorrespond to a scalar query quantity. In an example, data samples froman experiment that was run at various temperatures may be stored in adatabase. The query quantity may be “temperature”, and the returned datamay be the collection of data samples ordered by temperature. The cursorwidget might include a bar, perhaps a horizontal or vertical bar thatrepresents an extent of the underlying data (data samples of theexperiment). Within the bar, a user adjustable indicator, such as ahighlighted portion of the bar, may reflect a range of temperatures tobe input as the scalar query quantity. The position and size of thetemperature range indicator within the data extent bar may be controlledby the user, perhaps through movements of the mouse, pointing device, orscroll wheel. The positioned and sized temperature range indicator wouldbe input, such as through a user clicking a mouse button. Alternativelythe data returned by database query may dynamically reflect the state ofthe widget as it is manipulated by the user. If the user makes thetemperature indicator very small, a smaller number of results may bereturned because the range of the query is restricted. If the user makesthe temperature indicator larger, a large number of results may bereturned, because the range of the query is enlarged. If the user movesthe temperature range indicator to the left (down), the samples closerto the left-most (bottom) extreme may be returned. If the user moves thetemperature range indicator to the right (top), the samples closer tothe right-most (top) extreme may be returned. Examples of aZeeCursorWidget are included in exemplary embodiments describedelsewhere herein.

In another example of ZeeCursorWidget, a user, Jim is browsing ahistorical archive of a hyperlocal publishing source. He uses theZeeCursorWidget to determine the time period of the stories that appearon a ZeeGuide. He is interested in the history of the Faneuil Hallneighborhood in downtown Boston. The displayed Zeetix Database CursorWidget shows, using a legend underneath it, that the archive containsstories ranging from the early 1800s to today. The query range indicatoris, by default, set to span a week and is positioned at the right-most(latest) end of the widget. The map shows the stories from the mostrecent week. Jim uses his scroll-wheel to enlarge the query inputindicator to span an entire year. The ZeeGuide fills with markers,because the archive contains many stories for the current year in thecurrently-visible neighborhood that includes Faneuil Hall. Jim uses hismouse to slide the query input indicator back towards 1960, because heis interested in events during the 1960 election campaign. Fewer markersappear, because the archive contains fewer stories pertaining to theFaneuil Hall neighborhood in 1960. He uses his scroll-wheel to narrowthe query input indicator so that it covers a month instead of a year,and uses the mouse to select “November” of 1960. A marker appears overFaneuil Hall itself, indicating that multimedia content is available.Jim double-clicks the marker, and sees that John F. Kennedy gave hiselection-eve speech from Faneuil Hall on Nov. 7, 1960. He sees links toa transcript, an audio recording of the speech, and newspaperphotographs of the event.

Data sources for a ZeeCursorWidget may include database queries,sequential file systems, data that includes attributes that facilitatesequential ordering, and the like.

This ZeeCursorWidget may include both an interaction model and multiplevisualizations. The interaction model may display a minimum and maximumrange of a sequential collection of data to a user. It may allow theuser to specify a minimum and maximum range of a subset of that datathat is of interest to the user. It may encourage a visualization thatpresents these relationships in a visually compelling way. Thepresentation model may make spatial geometry isomorphic to the dataquery embodied by the widget. Multiple visualizations may be expectedfor the same widget, perhaps at the same time. The state of the widgetmay correspond to the state and results of a query on the underlyingdata and database presented by the widget. In some embodiments, changesin the widget might be reflected at the end of a user interaction withthe widget, such as when the user releases the mouse button during a“drag”. In other embodiments, changes in the widget might be reflecteddynamically as the user interacts with the widgets, such as while theuser is dragging the query input range indicator while depressing themouse-button.

The ZeeCursorWidget and ZeeGuide example may be generalized in thatvisualizations may include a variety of presentation formats, includingbut not limited to pie-segments within disks, nested rectangles,multiple marks on an axis, and so on. Also, user interaction devicesinclude but are not limited to mouse movements, key stroke combinations,physical and virtual dials and knobs, text entry fields, andcommunications with other programs and services.

Zeetix is applicable to a variety of markets and applications in whichinformation can be spatially visualized.

Homebuyers want to see a variety of information when selecting thecommunity in which they want to live, as well as information regarding ahome for sale within the community. Buyers may be interested in thestandardized test results for the local elementary school; environmentalwaste sites within a three-mile radius; road traffic patterns at rushhour; aircraft flight paths to local airports; the incidence of violentcrime within the local area; proximity of restaurants and coffee shops,and their ratings by consumer review websites; proximity to publictransportation with links to fare and schedule information; how propertyvalues and property taxes have changed over the past five years; zoninginformation linked to local ordinances; and local houses of worship,among other points of interest.

A Zeetix franchisee might recognize the market opportunity forinformation that meets the need described above. The Zeetix franchisee'sdeveloper might use a Python ZeeBinding and ZDE that presents a Pythonlanguage view of a ZeetixEngine. This ZDE might create Zeetices thatcontain ZeeObjects with geographic coordinates of home sales datareceived from other ZeeStores combined with home descriptions from thefranchisee's own data sources. The developer could administer thesecurity settings within his or her ZeetixEngine to allowsubscriber-only access. The franchisee could then market access to thisnewly-created Zeetix as a subscription-based service.

A customer with a valid subscription could access this Zeetix by usinghis or her mobile device to search for available homes in his geographicarea. The customer could navigate between layers to see the homedescriptions matching his price range in the geographic area describedby the Zeetix and internally represented as ZeeObjects. Furthermore, thecustomer could link out to see how the local elementary school is rankedwithin the state's standardized test results, or how crime statisticshave changed within the area over the past five years. The other typesof information described above as of interest to a potential homebuyercould be represented as ZeeObjects rendered on separate layersaccessible via the layer-to-layer navigation scheme made possible by ashared spatial domain and embodied in the Zeetix.

The franchisee could also market the virtual space described by thegeographic coordinates. For example, the franchisee could lease thevirtual space corresponding to a “hot” physical real estate neighborhoodto mortgage lenders, moving companies, or other commercial ventures ofinterest to the potential homebuyers who form the user base. Theseadvertisements would comprise an additional layer of information withinthe shared spatial domain of the Zeetix.

Thus, a Zeetix can establish a virtual spatial property in which one ormore “owners” can develop a spatial area, such as around a visualrepresentation of a real property or a visual representation of avirtual property. The area around a virtual property of interest can bedeveloped, such as by providing icons, branded elements, links, mediacomponents or the like, such as ones that lead to other Zeetices orlayers of a Zeetix. For example, clicking on an advertisement near astore in a virtual geography could lead into a web site of theadvertiser, into another virtual space associated with the advertiser,or to any of a variety of related Zeetices, such as a deeper layer ofthe same Zeetix. The owner of the virtual property could be rewarded forclick-throughs, purchases, or the like.

Other exemplary, non-limiting real estate scenarios that may besupportable in a Zeetix include residential sales, urban apartmentrentals, and short-term and vacation rentals.

FIG. 3 depicts a ZeeGuide created to present homes available for sale topotential buyers. The ZeeGuide may be based on listings for a specificbroker or for many brokers so that a user may view each broker'slistings. A home buying ZeeGuide 300 may include an object visualizationtree 302 which may further include a property listing branch 304. TheZeeGuide 300 may include a ZeeMap 314 of a residential area that maydisplay ‘for sale’ objects 310 marking properties for sale. The markersmay include each broker's artwork to visually indicate which propertiesare listed by each broker. The visualization tree 302 may allow a userto select categories of the listings 308, such as based on price, numberof bedrooms, lot size, number of floors, square footage, car garagesize, and other aspects of the property. The ZeeGuide 300 may facilitateviewing the listings by location instead of in a typical linear table orsequential page listings. The ZeeGuide map 314 may also show schools,school districts, zoning regions, school bus routes and pickups, floodzones, terrain or elevation, and the like. The ZeeMap 314 may includemarkers for transportation public transportation 312, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, selecting a marker at any of the levels of zoom,such as by double clicking the marker or positioning a cursor over themarker, may open a ZeeWindow 402 that facilitates establishing arelationship with the broker or may provide greater detail about thelisting, such as asking price, history of price adjustments, brokercommission plan, seller disclosure, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, by selecting various visualization objects 508 ortypes of objects in the visualization tree, a different ZeeMap may bedisplayed. The ZeeMap of FIG. 5 is a school zone ZeeMap 504 thatincludes markers for objects selected in the tree. In the ZeeMap of FIG.5, shopping centers 510 and recreation 512 are selected and markers forshopping centers 510 and recreation 512 are rendered on the map.

FIG. 6 depicts a population density ZeeGuide in which a user hasselected population density information 602 in the object rendering andvisualization tree. In the ZeeGuide of FIG. 6, the population densitiesare represented by various patterns 604 to indicate geographically adistribution of population densities matched with homes available forpurchase.

FIG. 7 depicts a ZeeGuide zoomed by the user through the navigationfeatures of the map. The navigation features may allow a user to zoom inor out, such as zoom into a specific neighborhood, a specific street,intersection, address, and the like. The ZeeGuide 700 of FIG. 7 includesrendering options in the visualization tree for a variety of detailsthat a home buyer may find of interest including business/retail 702,restaurants 704, and the like. Markers for these objects (e.g.restaurants 710), and other objects such as homes for sale 712, highways708, and the like may be displayed on a ZeeMap portion of the ZeeGuide700.

FIG. 8 depicts a detailed ZeeGuide of a home for sale. The zoom andnavigation features of the map may allow a user to zoom deeper into anindividual plot plan ZeeGuide 800 (e.g. from a county real-estate saleregistry) or perhaps to view a floor plan of a home or other dwelling.The plot plan ZeeGuide 800 may include a ZeeMap 802 that may include acompass indicator 804 to help orient a home buyer, a plot plan 808, andsurrounding features such as roads, and the like. The interaction may befurther enhanced by the user changing perspective and viewing floors ina multi-floor building or viewing a side view of the building to get aperspective on the floors, entrances, windows, shading, utility hookups,and the like.

Data sources for such a ZeeGuide, which may represent a virtual multiplelisting server (“VMLS”) may include a conventional Multiple ListingService, individual brokers, direct sellers, other listing sources suchas Craigslist, Ebay, local community electronic bulletin boards, and thelike. A residential real-estate ZeeGuide may play a roll similar to acollection of physical “for sale” signs posted at real properties.

Another real-estate scenario may include urban apartment rentals so thata ZeeGuide may be configured to offer apartments to rent. Urban rentalsare often highly competitive, require personal connections or workingthrough brokers who receive high commissions, and generally involveneeding to be working with many more brokers than suburban home salesrequire. Urban rentals also exhibit high turn over and very short offerperiods. Additionally brokers are often also owners or landlords whichmay blur the line of understanding of the parties involved.

A ZeeGuide may be prepared to support offering urban apartments to rentor lease. The ZeeGuide may be based on listings for a specific broker orfor many brokers so that a user may view each broker's listings. AZeeMap of a residential area may display ‘for rent’ objects markingproperties for including available rentals. The markers may include eachbroker's artwork to visually indicate which properties are listed byeach broker. Within a large property, more than one broker may haveavailable listings so the markers may include a dynamic aspect such aschanging among brokers. A visualization tree may allow a user to selectcategories of the listings, such as based on price, number of rooms,number of floors, square footage, parking options, and other aspects ofthe rental property. The ZeeGuide may facilitate viewing the rentallistings by location instead of in a typical linear table or sequentialpage listings. The ZeeGuide map may also show area content such assubway and bus stops, cross walks, lighting, traffic signals, retaillocations, and the like. The user may use the navigation features of themap to zoom in or out, such as zoom into a specific neighborhood, aspecific street, intersection, address, and the like. The zoom andnavigation features of the map may allow a user to zoom deeper in to anindividual location that may include a plurality of rental properties orperhaps to view a floor plan of the property that may include availablerentals. The interaction may be further enhanced by the user changingperspective and viewing floors in a multi-floor building or viewing aside view of the building to get a perspective on the floors, entrances,windows, shading, utility hookups, and the like. Selecting a marker atany of the levels of zoom, such as by double clicking the marker, mayopen a window that facilitates establishing a relationship with thebroker. Alternatively, the user may select the marker so that anotherZeeGuide may be displayed that provides greater detail about thelisting, such as asking price, history of price adjustments, brokercommission plan, seller disclosure, and the like. The ZeeGuide opened byselecting the marker may allow viewing of photos of the rental property,such as photographs of individual rooms in the rental. A floor plan viewmay indicate the location in the rental from which each photo was taken.In addition to viewing photos, the ZeeGuide may facilitate viewing avideo of the rental unit, the rental property, the area of the property,and the like to allow a potential renter to observe the location overparticular periods of time, such as rush hour, weekend mornings, and thelike. A user known to a ZeeSys providing the ZeeGuide, such as aregistered user, may be allowed to connect their profile that mayinclude a credit application or credit report with the listing brokerfor the rental unit to facilitate starting the rental process. A user,such as a registered user, may also be provided access to a ZeeGuidethat presents the lease for the rental unit and allows the user tonavigate through the lease as presented in the lease ZeeGuide. The leaseZeeGuide may connect to apartment rental city and state regulationsZeeGuides to facilitate navigating through and reviewing pertinentregulations and laws of apartment renting. Using the methods and systemsof ZeeObjects and the like, rental ZeeGuides may offer seamlessconnections to other related ZeeGuides and Zeetix maps, such as localevent calendars, parking restriction schedules, demographics maps,rehabilitation plans submitted to city boards, and the like.

Data sources for rental property ZeeGuides may include building owners,current renters, brokers, building developers, government housingagencies, city planners, craigslist, ebay, and the like. A rentalproperty real-estate ZeeGuide may play a roll similar to physical “forrent” signs posted on properties.

A ZeeGuide may be prepared to support offering short-term and vacationrentals. This ZeeGuide may be based on listings for a specific broker orfor many brokers so that a user may view each broker's listings. AZeeMap of a user specified area, such as a vacation area may display‘for rent’ objects marking properties for rent in a time periodspecified by the user. The markers may include each broker's artwork tovisually indicate which properties are listed by each broker. Avisualization tree may allow a user to select categories of thelistings, such as start and end of rental, rental price, number ofbedrooms, lot size, number of floors, square footage, proximity toamenities, linen service availability, and other aspects of theproperty. The short-term and vacation ZeeGuide may facilitate viewingthe listings by location instead of in a typical linear table orsequential page listings. The ZeeGuide map may also show points ofinterest such as ski slopes, beaches, hiking trails, shuttle pickuplocations, ski rental shops, nearby hotels, restaurants, grocery stores,clubs, gift shops, and the like. The user may use the navigationfeatures of the map to zoom in or out, such as zoom into a specificvacation area, a specific street, intersection, address, and the like.The zoom and navigation features of the map may allow a user to zoomdeeper in to an individual short-term or vacation rental property, suchas slope side ski rentals. An individual location or rental may benavigated so that the user may view a floor plan of a rental. Theinteraction may be further enhanced by the user changing perspective andviewing floors in a multi-floor building or viewing a side view of thebuilding to get a perspective on the floors, entrances, windows,shading, utility hookups, relative distance to an attraction (e.g. abeach or ski slope), and the like. Selecting a marker at any of thelevels of zoom, such as by double clicking the marker, may open a windowthat facilitates establishing a relationship with the rental broker.Alternatively, the user may select the marker so that another ZeeGuidemay be displayed that provides greater detail about the listing, such asrental price, rental terms, broker commission plan, rental history, andthe like. A user known to a ZeeSys that provides the ZeeGuide, such as aregistered user, may be allowed to connect their profile that mayinclude an approved credit rating that may be connected with the listingbroker for the vacation or short-term rental to facilitate starting therental process. A user, such as a registered user, may also be providedaccess to a ZeeGuide that presents the lease for the rental unit andallows the user to navigate through the lease as presented in the leaseZeeGuide. The lease ZeeGuide may connect to vacation rental regulationZeeGuides to facilitate navigating through and reviewing pertinentregulations and laws of vacation or short-term renting. Using themethods and systems of ZeeObjects and the like, rental ZeeGuides mayoffer seamless connections to other related ZeeGuides and Zeetix maps,such as local event calendars, parking restriction schedules,demographics maps, and the like.

Data for such a ZeeGuide, may include travel industry sources, skiindustry sources, resorts, chamber of commerce, civic groups, interestgroups, private property owners, hotel and restaurant sources, otherlisting sources such as Craigslist, Ebay, local community electronicbulletin boards, and the like. The plurality of sources may facilitateeasy connection with other ZeeObjects and ZeeGuides such as ZeeGuidesfor events, hotels, restaurants, time shares, rental property purchases,and the like. In addition to seamless connection among ZeeGuides, Zeetixmaps, and the like, integration from multiple vertical markets creates asynergistic effect that significantly enhances a user rental, purchase,or vacation planning experience.

In another embodiment, members of the general public need to be able toeasily purchase tickets to entertainment events within their local area.Additionally, tourists need to know what entertainment events might beavailable to them while visiting the area. A Zeetix franchisee mightrecognize the market opportunity for information that meets the needs ofboth user populations. The Zeetix franchisee's developer might use aJavaScript ZeeBinding and ZDE that creates a Zeetix that the developersees in Javascript. This Zeetix could contain ZeeObjects with geographiccoordinates of event data received from other ZeetStores combined withseating descriptions from the franchisee's own data sources of the eventlocations. The developer could administer the advertising settingswithin her Zeetix to allow a rotation of local advertisements relevantto the event or performance, which would then appear within the virtualspatial domain as described below.

For example, a user could go to a visual map of the downtown area ofBoston and see depictions of event locales, such as Fenway Park,Symphony Hall, and the TD BankNorth Garden. The user would be visuallyalerted if any of those locales had a game or performance scheduled forthe evening; for example, Fenway Park might glow red for a Red Sox gameto be played that evening. The user would then click on the glowing-redFenway Park portion of the image and be taken to a page showing aseating arrangement, along with relevant advertising around the page(e.g. advertisements for Fenway-area restaurants and bars). If the userclicked on the seat, the next image would show her the actual view fromher seat. She would have the capacity to navigate around the view, tozoom in and out of the view, and to tilt the view, thus giving her abetter sense of whether the seat was to her liking. Furthermore, virtualadvertising could be visible within the spatial domain defined by theview from that seat. For example, advertisers could pay to have theirlogo superimposed upon the outfield grass or the outfield wall, similarto the “virtual advertisements” visible only on television broadcasts.

The user could then link out to purchase tickets for the event, thuscompleting the transaction.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of using ZeeObjects and other Zeetix methodsand systems in association with event ticketing, ZeeGuides mayfacilitate ticketing for live stage performances such as concerts,plays, lectures, speakers, club performances, and the like. ZeeGuidesmay facilitate users identifying events they would like to attend,purchasing tickets, and purchasing event related items, services,lodging, restaurant reservations, transportation, tickets to relatedevents, and the like.

In an example, a user visits a web site, such as by using a web browserlike Internet Explorer, to view and potentially purchase concerttickets. The web site may be a ticket seller (e.g. Ticketmaster), avenue web site, or other site that facilitates the purchase orrepurchase of event tickets. A ZeeGuide 900 may be displayed includingan object visualization tree 902 showing one or more venues 908, andtime control selection range indicator 906, such as may be provided by acursor widget herein described. Based on the selected venue and time,different artists may be enumerated on the tree. A ZeeMap 9004 may showthe selected venue. Alternatively, an object visualization tree may beorganized by artist so that a list of concert dates and venues may beincluded in the tree and a corresponding ZeeMap may show the variouslocations where artists are playing. Other organizations of aperformance ZeeGuide are possible, including without limitation, date,time, venue, artist, genre, tickets in a price range, region, agerestriction (e.g. over 21 shows), performance type, and any other aspector combination of aspects related to performances that may be attributedto ZeeObjects. A ZeeMap may show hotels 910 and restaurants on same map.

Referring to FIG. 10, a user may select a concert venue 908 to display aZeeWindow 1004 that shows details about the venue on the selected dateand may include a link that allows the user to purchase a ticket to thatevent from that site. Selecting the ticket purchase link may bring upfurther details about the event, such as a seating chart as shown inFIG. 12.

Referring to FIG. 11, a user may select to view additional informationrelated to an event. The ZeeGuide of FIG. 11 may be a restaurantZeeGuide 1100 that is derived from the event ZeeGuide of FIG. 9 byselecting to visualize restaurants in the object visualization tree1102. Positioning a cursor over, or selecting, a restaurant marker inthe ZeeGuide 1100 ZeeMap may result in a restaurant detailed ZeeWindow1104 being displayed (e.g. as an overlay) and including details aboutthe marked restaurant. The details may include an address, phone number,web site, average entry price, link to make a reservation, therestaurant or sponsor logo, and the like. Each element in the ZeeWindow1104 may be a rendered marker of a ZeeObject that may, when selectedopen another ZeeGuide (e.g. a restaurant review ZeeGuide).

FIG. 12 depicts a ZeeGuide for selecting a seat in venue. The seatselection ZeeGuide 1200 of FIG. 12 may include an object visualizationtree 1202 that may include visualization attributes related to a seatselection and that may be associated with ZeeObjects such as venues,seats, seating sections, and the like. This custom ZeeGuide may includea ZeeMap of venue 1204 with available seats shown on map based on thevisualization tree 1202 selections. Selecting or moving a cursor over aseat may display a ZeeGuide overlay 1208 that displays information aboutthe particular seat, including price, seat number, link to purchase aticket for the seat, neighboring seat availability, a link to seesightlines to the stage, and the like.

Ticketing ZeeGuides may be associated with other events such as sportingevents. A ZeeGuide for sporting events may take into considerationfactors such as fan loyalty since sports team event patrons aregenerally local to the venue. Also sports teams and venues are oftentightly coupled in that the home town sports team may only play at thehometown venue, and the hometown venue may only be available for thehometown sports team events. However, other events, such as minor leaguecontests in major league venues may also be part of a sports eventticketing ZeeGuide.

The ZeeGuide of FIG. 13 shows a sporting event related ZeeGuide 1300that includes a ZeeObject visualization tree 1302 and a ZeeMap 1304. Inaddition to showing the sporting venue 1312, transportation options1308, local eateries 1310, detailed information about any of these orother markers displayed in the ZeeMap 1304 may be displayed similarly tothe detailed ZeeWindows of FIGS. 10-12. Any actions possible in theseZeeWindows may be appropriately adapted for a ZeeWindow that may bedisplayed based on ZeeMap 1304 markers. Because sports tickets may bepurchased on a robust secondary market, a ZeeGuide for purchasingtickets may include ZeeGuides for secondary market or resale ticketsincluding ticket bidding ZeeGuides. An alternative ZeeGuide related tosporting events may be a ‘foul ball’ ZeeGuide that depicts a baseballstadium with markers for exemplary or specific foul balls and home runsthat have been hit. This information may be combined with a seatingZeeGuide as shown in FIG. 12 by displaying statistics associated withfoul balls (or home runs) hit in the vicinity of the seat. A ZeeGuidewith home run markers may be linked to recorded video of the home runsmarked so that opening a home run marker may display a window containinglink to view information about the home run including viewing the videoof the home run. ZeeGuides for “web gems” and other special plays insporting events may be configured and related to ticketing ZeeGuides.

Data sources for event ticketing ZeeGuide applications may includeconcert venues, ticket sellers, ticket resellers, performers, artists,promoters, websites (e.g. ticket auction and resale sites), RSS feeds,hotels, affiliate managers, travel sites, transit and parking municipaland private sources, teams, fan clubs, and the like.

This exemplary ZeeGuide may represent important aspects of the methodsand systems herein disclosed including tying ZeeObjects together basedon a location, filtering by time (e.g. as controlled by a cursor timeindication widget), presenting a ZeeGuide as a calendar, ZeeObjectrelationships may be codified or determined based attributes of theobjects (e.g. venues, sellers, resellers, promoters), related ZeeObjectsmay be presented in ZeeGuides (e.g. a hotel may be presented in aConcert ZeeGuide exemplifying a synergy between concert ZeeGuides andhotel ZeeGuides), and the like. ZeeGuides for cobranded package dealsmay be available on web sites for promoters, performers, team sites,hotels, league sites, and any other participant or affiliate. ZeeGuidesfor viewing live or recorded action at a venue, such as last night'sbaseball game, may be accessible from and related to a ticketingZeeGuide.

Generalizations from such an exemplary ZeeGuide may include: artists maywant a music ZeeGuide on the artist's website presenting upcomingappearances; as multiple artists assemble music ZeeGuides, destinationwebsites that aggregate these ZeeGuides (e.g. 80's musicianperformances) may become more attractive and commercially viable furtheropening opportunities for commercializing virtual property rights (e.g.internet advertising); ZeeWindows that may open when an appearancemarkers (e.g. a concert venue) might invite visitors to purchase musicfor download; and Zeetix methods and systems facilitate using spatialorganization to provide context and framework for music eventinformation.

FIG. 14 depicts a travel and entertainment Zeetix scenario. Zeetixmethods and systems may be associated with travel and entertainmentscenarios. Users who may be interested in planning a trip to anothercity may use a travel planning ZeeGuide as depicted in FIG. 14. Theplanning ZeeGuide 1400 may include an object visualization tree 1402that may allow a user to select travel related objects for rendering onthe travel ZeeMap 1404. A user may select a mode of transportation, suchas train travel and the ZeeGuide will respond by displaying a marker ofthe train station 1408 in the destination city. The user may select toview hotels in the city as well and these may be displayed as hotelmarkers 1410. By selecting or pausing a cursor over a hotel marker 1410,the user may view an overlay ZeeWindow 1412 that provides details aboutthe hotel, such as a location, reservation phone number, web site, rangeof room rates, a link to make a reservation, and the like.

Data sources that may be appropriate for providing information that canbe represented in a travel ZeeGuide may include individual users,restaurants, restaurant chains and franchises, online reservationservices, hotels, hotel promoters, hotel resellers and aggregators,travel service providers, movie theaters, music venues, touristattractions, tourism bureaus, businesses and retailers, hospitals andmedical providers, local and regional governments, communityorganizations, and the like.

In another embodiment, a patent family tree is a series of chartsshowing the relationships between different branches of patents orpatent applications that have been issued or filed in a giventechnological field. A tree includes a patent in a field and relatesback to earlier patents and forward to later patents in the field. Thesecharts include information about strategies for planning products andcontrolling intellectual property; key research personnel and companies;competitors within the industry; and areas of related research.

A Zeetix franchisee might recognize a market opportunity within thecreation of a patent family tree. The Zeetix franchisee's developermight use a Perl ZeeBinding and ZDE that creates a local Zeetix that thedeveloper views in Perl. The developer might then synthesize a renderingof the patent family tree and use the ZeeRIP to create a correspondingcustom ZeeMap. The developer might then build a Zeetix around thiscustom ZeeMap, such that the Zeetix could contain ZeeObjects withspatial coordinates defined in the coordinate system of the customZeeMap corresponding to the patent family tree of interest. Some ofthese ZeeObjects might be patent and assignee data received from otherZeeStores, combined with descriptions of a particular patent family ofinterest from the franchisee's own data sources. The developer couldadminister the advertising settings within her Zeetix to allow arotation of advertisements of interest to patent prosecution firms,litigation, boutique intellectual property firms, and other potentialusers. Additionally, the developer could administer the securitysettings within her Zeetix to give access to those only within hercompany's Local Area Network (“LAN”).

Referring to FIG. 15, a user within a pharmaceutical company couldaccess the patent family Zeetix 1500 within that LAN. The user couldfirst look at a depiction of the relationships within a protein familythat the company is targeting for a new product. This information couldallow the user to assist decision-makers in product planning, potentialside effects, viability of the target class, and the identification ofthe most promising areas of unmet medical need and market potential.Additionally, the patent family ZeeGuide 1500 may reduce the problem of“reinventing the wheel” and helps avoid patent infringements, since auser would be able to see where other companies have patents or patentspending within the protein family. The user may enter a keyphrase (e.g.keyword or phrase that may distinguish patents related to the proteinfamily of interest) in the visualization tree 1502. A ZeeMap 1504 may bedisplayed that encompasses all related patents along with a time frameindicator widget 1522, such as a cursor widget herein described forchanging the input time frame and duration. As the user adjusts the timeindicator widget 1522, the starting and ending dates on the timeline1510 may change accordingly and patents 1508 and FDA tracked productdevelopment activity 1512 related to the patents may be rendered alongthe time line. The vertical distance of the patent markers 1508 and theproduct development markers 1512 may be based on a relevance of the useof the keyphrase in the patent or product. The visualization tree 1502may include other options such as a location of the keyphrase within thepatents (e.g. claims, references, and detailed description), and patentjurisdiction (e.g. US, Japan, or International) that the user may selectto provide different views of the ZeeGuide. The visualization treeoptions may facilitate navigating through the patent ZeeGuide layerssuch as layers associated with patents. Selecting one or more of thevisualization tree 1502 options may result in a different ZeeGuide beingrendered based on a layer indicated by the option selected. The user mayalso interact with the ZeeGuide 1500 by surfing around the ZeeMapspatial domain of priority date and relevance to learn more about thepatents 1508 and/or products 1512 rendered therein. By selecting apatent marker of interest, such as by clicking the marker or pausing acursor over the marker may result in a ZeeWindow 1514 appearing that mayprovide highly pertinent information about the ZeeObject selected. TheZeeWindow might allow the user to see information on the patent assignee(owner) and the current stage of product development for the patentedmaterial. In effect, this Zeetix provides a spatial context within whichpatent information can be correlated with a company's strategy,strengths, products, and markets.

Once the user has identified a particular target protein using thepatent family tree Zeetix, that user might then access a related pathwayZeetix in order to identify a particular range of disorders associatedwith the protein of interest and their associated patents and pendingapplications. FIG. 16 depicts such a ZeeGuide. The ZeeGuide 1600 mayinclude an object visualization tree 1602 that may facilitatevisualizing disorders by type and related patent families, such aspatent families related through the keyphrase from the ZeeGuide of FIG.15. A ZeeMap 1604 may display, using a spatial coordinate system relatedto the disorders of morbidity 1614 and occurrences 1618 to help put theopportunities in a commercial focused perspective. Within this spatialdomain, patents 1608 and disorder types 1610 may be dispersed so thatcorrespondence among the patents and the disorders related to theprotein family of interest may be visualized. In the example of FIG. 16,the user may identify disorder type T1 1610 and T3 1612 as candidatesfor commercial development in that they may have either high occurrencerates, greater morbidity rates, or both. Additionally disorder type T11610 and T3 1612 may not have substantial correspondence with patentfamilies thereby indicating potentially novel uses of the specificprotein identified within the patent family Zeetix, and as a result,enhancing the commercial value of an original patent on the use of theprotein for treatment of the disorder.

A Zeetix may be associated with life science scenarios such asbiological pathways, genome maps, image and information sharing, and thelike. A biological pathway is a series of related changes or events thatoccur within a cell or an organism. A metabolic pathway such as“glycolysis” may describe a step by step process of the enzymaticreactions when processing a substrate such as glucose. Signalingpathways describe the process of signaling, the signal, the messengersand receptors to the ultimate outcome. In general, pathways form complexinterconnected networks.

As shown in FIG. 17, a researcher is interested in developing new drugsagainst diabetes. A biological ZeeGuide 1700 may facilitate determiningprotein classes that may be more appropriate for drug discovery. TheZeeGuide 1700 may include an object visualization index tree 1702 thatmay allow a user to visualize the roles and relationships of diseases,molecule type, and reagents in a protein family focused biologicalpathway as may be rendered in ZeeMap 1704. Throughout the pathways 1708,1710, and 1712, a researcher may select biological pathway markers anddetermine relevant information. By selecting a step in biologicalpathway 1712, a ZeeWindow may be presented in an overlay describinglaboratory experiments that indicate that a protein of interest isup-regulated in tissues of diabetic individuals as compared tonon-diabetics. However by continuing to follow pathway 1712, either byzooming or scrolling a window to view each portion of the pathway, theresearcher may determine that the protein of pathway 1712 may be‘non-druggable’ because it does interact with appropriate targets andmay not be regulated by drugs. Because the ZeeGuide 1700 provides anend-to-end biological pathway, the researcher may scroll within thebiological pathway spatial domain to identify other paths in the pathwaythat may lead to identifying other target proteins that fall in proteinclasses more appropriate for drug discovery.

By interacting with the visualization tree 1702, the researcher mayenable rendering markers that indicate molecule types 1714. Theresearcher may select molecule type markers 1714 in other paths and oneor more ZeeWindows may appear that may facilitate identifying themolecule types 1718 and a ZeeWindow overlay 1720 for appropriatechemical compounds and other reagents required for experiments. Thechemical overlay 1720 may include a direct link for ordering theexperiment elements, such as chemical compounds and reagents, therebyconnecting the research biological pathway ZeeGuide to laboratoryexperimentation ZeeGuide and compound ordering ZeeGuides.

Genomes may be considered as one-dimensional linear maps. Chromosomeplus nucleotide number are the equivalent of coordinates in a map.Zeetix allows to combine and filter information associated with thesemaps, such as genetic variation and mutations, haplotype blocks, genes,regulatory elements, degree of conservation among species, diseaseassociations, providers of diagnostic tests, patient records, reagentsand their suppliers.

FIGS. 18-20 depict various ZeeGuides associated with presenting andmanaging Genomic life science. FIG. 18 depicts a human genome ZeeGuidevisualizing disease markers and laboratories. A physician who maysuspect his patient may be suffering from Syndrome A which may beassociated with a deletion of genetic material in a defined chromosomalarea. By interacting with the genome Zeetix 1800, the physician may panaround the human genome spatial domain and zoom in on areas of potentialinterest, such as an area depicted in the ZeeMap 1804. Associated withthe ZeeMap 1804, markers for Syndrome A and other syndromes may bedisplayed in relation to a genome string. The physician may select theSyndrome A marker to view a ZeeWindow including a brief description ofthe disease and one or more links to clinical, research, andpharmaceutical literature. By selecting laboratory markers, thephysician may view information such as price, turn around time, andcontact information for ordering a test such as a blood test. If thephysician decides to perform the test himself, he can select and orderappropriate probes from the Zeetix by zooming in on the chromosomal areasuch as shown in FIG. 19.

FIG. 19 depicts a ZeeGuide that may help a physician determine availableprobes and to select the correct set of probes. The probe selectionZeeGuide 1900 allows a physician to view-genes in the area, the locationof probes relative to those genes and genetic findings in other SyndromeA patients described in the literature. As this ZeeMap 1904 is a resultof zooming in on the genome ZeeMap 1804, portions of the spatialcoordinate system are the same, however at such greater resolution,other factors such as individual probes associated with detectingdetails of the genome compose an aspect of the probe selection ZeeMap1904. In the ZeeMap 1904, three genes are involved in the syndrome: A, Band C. Gene A and B must be missing in order to diagnose the Syndrome.If gene C is also missing, additional symptoms are to be expected.Markers may show the location of molecular probes available so that aphysician may get help selecting the correct set of probes. Probes canbe ordered by clicking on the markers as indicated by ZeeWindow 1908.ZeeWindow 1908 may interconnect with a financial transaction ZeeGuidethat may allow a physician to select a method of payment, a patientaccount to charge it against, and probe order options such as deliverytime, and the like. Other markers may show the extent of deletions inother patients that have been described in the literature. After gettingtest results for his patient, the physician may decide to annotate theZeetix with a patient info marker 1910 describing the findings and alink to the patient records. In this way, patient records may beorganized with respect to specific genetic defects.

Referring to FIG. 20, more and more sequences of information isavailable for individuals. Some individuals have had their entire genomesequenced today. However, the DNA sequence by itself is meaningless,unless it is annotated. A personal genome Zeetix 2000 might be a genomeZeetix annotated with a specific individual's variation from the“standard” genome. Markers on the personal genome ZeeMap 2004 mayhighlight areas or “coordinates” that are known to be associated withcertain traits, be it diseases or other traits such as height. Thepersonal genome ZeeGuide 2000 may include an object visualization tree2002 that lets the user choose between traits he or she wants to knowmore about (e.g. traits for talents such as perfect pitch orsusceptibility for preventable diseases) and exclude those that theychoose not to know about (e.g. incurable diseases). As in priorexamples, selecting a marker may allow a ZeeWindow 2008 to be viewed inan overlay. Markers may inform about treatments 2010 and might includeadvertisements for clinics or music schools, based on the traitsselected by the user.

Zeetix methods and systems may facilitate medical professionals sharinginformation, such as images of patient medical records to collaborate ondiagnosis and/or treatment. A ZeeGuide, through methods and systems forsharing data may facilitate web based images that are easily shared, canbe annotated by different people, and viewed in real time.

In an example, FIG. 21 depicts image sharing for diagnostic purposes. Apatient x-ray reveals shadows in his lungs that cannot be fullyinterpreted by the resident in charge. A ZeeGuide may be built to sharethe x-rays with a selected audience for viewing and annotating byconsulting specialists. The ZeeGuide provides shared, distributed,dynamic interactive access to allow specialists to comment, annotatecomments, and the like.

In another example of image and information sharing, FIGS. 22 through 24depict images captured and shared among a research consortium consistingof labs and experts in different countries sharing images ofhistological slides. The image sharing methods and systems of Zeeticesallow experiments to be performed at one location 2304 and the materialannotated by researches at other locations 2308, 2310, 2312. As in otherexamples of ZeeGuides, an object visualization tree 2202 as shown inFIG. 22 may allow filtering of comments by research field, person, andthe like. Restricted publishing and access methods may facilitate thirdparty collaborators seeing certain markers based on their accessprivileges.

FIG. 24 depicts links between and among Zeetices. These links may beactivated through markers or based on the portion of the spatial domainbeing viewed. In an example, a marker may link the ZeeMap 2404 with abiological pathway Zeetix 2408 or for the specific gene that codes 2410for this protein.

The methods and systems herein may associated with an EnterpriseApplication Suite (EAS) that may integrate all aspects of large-companyoperations. An older term used to capture similar operations isEnterprise Resource Planning (ERP). ERP and EAS systems may include avariety of software and hardware that support various portions of thecompany operations. Some of the software and hardware may be tightlyintegrated, while others may be loosely integrated. Achieving highquality overall operation may be accomplished through various type ofintegration, most often focused around database integration. However,business operation may also be integrated through combinations ofinterconnected application services. Zeetix methods and systems may beparticularly well suited to facilitate movement from an integrateddatabase medium to an interconnected applications services medium.

Zeetix methods and systems facilitates EAS solution providers usingvisualizations of an existing or contemplated EAS at the earliest stagesof design. These visualizations, in a variety of formats, may beprocessed by the ZeeRIP into layers of map-tiles, thereby defining aZeeDomain specific to the contemplated EAS. Large-company areas that maybe addressed in a ZeeDomain may include manufacturing, supply chainmanagement, financials, project activity, human resources, customerrelationship management, data warehousing, and the like. Matching anintegration approach to a company is a key challenge of any EAS system.The natural flexibility and modularity of systems built with Zeetixmethods and systems may provide compelling advantages. In an EASvertical system, combinations of separate Zeetix solutions may readilycombine by using ZeeTags and SpatialZeeStitches.

FIG. 25 depicts an example of using ZeeObjects and other Zeetix methodsand systems to develop an EAS system. A printer manufacturer needs tosimultaneously interact with their Manufacturing, Sales, and CRMsystems. The manufacturer wants to tie together forecasts, productioncommitments, sales orders, and order inquiries. The manufacturing andsales organizations are meeting to plan their upcoming forecasts. Themanufacturer's EAS team has created a visualization, showing the Salesgroup at the top, the Manufacturing group at the bottom, and theplanning group in the middle. Interactions among the groups in thediagram are labeled with the participants. The diagram is provided tothe ZeeRIP where it is processed to create a stack of image tiles thatdefine a ZeeDomain (spatial domain) that can be presented in a ZeeGuide2500 or ZeeMap. ZeeTags are used to annotate the resulting ZeeMap, tyingfeatures from the visualizations to programs, information, and data incompany information systems. An application is assembled, using variousZeeTools that creates ZeeMarkers, ZeeWindows, and various otheruser-interface components into an interactive diagram.

FIG. 26 depicts what a manufacturing team member in Asia may view of theZeeGuide on their web browser. By clicking on the “projections” marker2602 of the diagram, a ZeeWindow 2604 presenting the current projectionsin the database opens. The sales representative in Europe asks if themanufacturing has the ability to increase their “commits”, and theManufacturing Rep says “yes, by about 20%”. The sales representative,who has the same application open in her web browser on her screen inZurich, Switzerland, clicks on the same “Projections” marker. Becausethe application knows from the sales representative's user profile thatshe is authorized to change the sales projections, the ZeeWindow thatopens on her screen includes the option to change the projection. Shedoes so, increasing the projections by 20%. She clicks “Save Changes”,and the window closes. The Manufacturing Representative hits his browser“refresh” button, and the new numbers appear in his “projections”ZeeWindow. The Manufacturing Representative clicks on his “Commits”marker 2608, and increases his commits. As soon as this change is made,each user of the Supply Chain Management system sees those changes, suchas the purchasing agent responsible for placing an order for printercases can see the revised requirements.

As depicted in FIG. 27, geographically separated entities with differingresponsibilities may share information within an Enterprise ApplicationSuite using Zeetix shared, distributed, dynamic, interactive access suchas may be available through a ZeeStore or ZeeSys shared database.

Data sources for an EAS or business process re-engineering project mayinclude SAP systems, legacy data, current production data, third partyprojections, customer demand, shipping schedules, union contracts,vacation plans, production preventive maintenance schedules, filters,middleware data converters, and the like.

The ZeeObjects and other Zeetix elements in the EAS scenario may includeand benefit from relationships with other Zeetix systems, with supplierand third party systems, with a company's legacy systems, and the like.The EAS scenario may be generalized to a wide variety of companyfunctions, processes, and activities including:

Manufacturing—Engineering Systems, Bills of material, Scheduling,Capacity planning, Workflow Management, Quality Control, Costmanagement, Manufacturing Process Engineering, Manufacturing ProjectManagement, Manufacturing Flow, and other Manufacturing operationalaspects.

Supply Chain Management—Inventory, Order Entry, Purchasing. ProductConfiguration, Supply Chain Planning, Supplier Scheduling, IncomingInspection, Claim Processing, Commission calculation, and other SupplyChain Management operational aspects.

Financials—General Ledger, Cash Management, Accounts Payable, AccountsReceivable, Fixed Assets, and other Financial operational aspects.

Projects—Costing, Billing, Time and expense, Activity management, andother Project operational aspects.

Human Resources—Payroll, Training, Time & attendance, Benefits, CareerDevelopment, Salary and Compensation, and other Human Resourceoperational aspects.

Customer Relationship Management—Sales and marketing, Commissions,Customer Contact, Call Center Support, and other Customer RelationshipManagement operational aspects.

Data Warehousing—Data storage and services, Self-serve customerinterfaces, Self-serve supplier interfaces, Self-serve employeeinterfaces, and other Data Warehousing operational aspects.

Zeetix methods and systems may be associated with hyperlocal publishingscenarios. Every news story has a location (a ‘where’) that may berepresented as spatial information organized to facilitate displayingthe news story and related information. A hyperlocal ZeeGuide mayprovide spatial context for publication of information, including newsstories. An interpretation of hyperlocal includes taking a ‘bottoms-up’focus based on geographically local content collection and publishing.Additionally, hyperlocal publishing is often “real time” publicationoccurs contemporaneously with the unfolding events being captured.Consequently, hyperlocal publishing is often dominated by raw, uneditedinformation that may lack sufficient textual description of context.Therefore a viewer of the raw unfolding events may not know if the eventis occurring in their building or in a similar building several blocksaway. Therefore spatial location context of the data sources and eventsis a crucial aspect of establishing hyperlocal publishing reliability.

As depicted in FIG. 28, a hyperlocal ZeeGuide 2800 may include avisualization tree 2802 and a ZeeMap 2804. Selections in the tree 2802may appear as markers on the ZeeMap 2804. Information pertinent tohyperlocal publishing may include markers for helicopters, policeaction, stringers, and the like. The information in the ZeeGuide may beacquired from real-time sources such as air traffic control systems,police call systems, stringer mobile devices, and the like.

In another example of a hyperlocal publishing application of Zeetixmethods and systems, FIG. 29 depicts a hyperlocal publishing ZeeGuidethat may be used to capture a trolley colliding with a truck on a busystreet in an urban neighborhood. A neighborhood resident hearshelicopters hovering overhead and wonders what happened. The residentmay view a hyperlocal ZeeGuide 2900 for her neighborhood that includes amap 2904 of the neighborhood with several markers that identify a story“in progress”. An object visualization tree 2902 may show severalcategories of information—real-time video feeds from helicopters (e.g.shown as moving markers on the map), police reports (shown as markerspositioned where the police report was generated), eyewitness reports,geo-tagged cell phone images and video clips, and so on. The residentmay use navigation features of the ZeeGuide to zoom in on the area ofthe markers to view details of the markers. As the resident selects orpauses her cursor over a marker, information may be displayed in aZeeWindow based on the type and attributes of the ZeeObject representedby the marker. One marker might be a real-time blog being typed by alocal “stringer” on the scene, where the marker for the blog isgeotagged with the stringer's location. When the visitor clicks on themarker, it opens into a ZeeWindow in which she reads the blog, unfoldingin real-time. Another marker might be a camera icon showing thegeotagged location of a recently-collected cell phone video of theincident. The visitor double-clicks on the marker and opens a videoZeeWindow 2908, within which she views the video. Later, as timeunfolds, editors might collect, edit and modify the story. The real-timecontemporaneous data gathered as the story unfolds is stored as its ownZeeObject in a ZeeStore, and another more polished ZeeObject can becreated from the edited material.

Further in the example, on the next day, the visitor views the onlineissue of a local newspaper and she may find a single marker in thedisplay of the online newspaper referencing the incident. By selectingthe story marker, a summary opens in a ZeeWindow, inviting her todouble-click a link to another ZeeGuide specific to that story.Selecting the specific ZeeGuide link, she sees a ZeeGuide with editedand validated information and with key locations still indicated on theassociated map. She is able to zoom in on the collision site, (e.g. in“satellite view”) and see the intersection where the incident occurred.She sees markers showing the locations of eyewitnesses interviewed bythe reporter so that she can see for herself where they were when theincident unfolded and by selecting the eyewitness marker may hear,through an audio ZeeWindow 2910 the eyewitness account. The incidentspecific ZeeGuide might include a marker that may link to the “raw”ZeeGuide that she saw earlier, which is now available as a data sourcefor the specific ZeeGuide.

The hyperlocal publishing ZeeGuide example maps may include markers ofarea businesses showing their locations. The markers may be purchasedvirtual property rights that may include advertisements for thebusinesses or products and services offered by the businesses. In theexample, the resident might see a marker for the BankAmerica branch onthe corner of incident intersection, and might see marker for a Japaneserestaurant across the street that appears new to her. The marker mayindicate, for example, that the restaurant has recently opened. Theresident may select the Japanese restaurant marker, thereby opening aZeeWindow in which she may make a reservation for lunch or dinner.

Data sources for this example of hyperlocal publishing ZeeGuides mayinclude any source of information available over the internet. Thevarious sources of reporting that are mentioned in the example may becollected through search spiders, RSS feeds and the like. This exampleshow potentially valuable relationships among ZeeObjects that may beexploited by the methods and systems herein. From a real-world incident,a user of a local ZeeGuide has gotten informed of events in here areaincluding locations of important businesses and a new restaurant. Theraw ZeeGuides that are being developed during an event may becomearchives of valuable historical information sources in the future.Zeetix methods and systems facilitate all aspects of informationgathering, information relationships, and information archival.

Referring to FIG. 30, a relationship among data in a ZeeStore, aZeeTile, and a ZeeMap is depicted. A ZeeStore 3002 may comprise avariety of data items, such as database items 3004. A ZeeTile 3008 mayreference a select plurality of database items 3004 so that thereferenced database items may be identified, operated on, and otherwisereferenced through their referring ZeeTile 3008. The ZeeTile 3008 may bemapped, such as through a ZeeRIP to a map tile 3010 that may compriseone or more visualization layers and may be presented in a ZeeMap.

Referring to FIG. 31, a ZeeStore 3102 may contain hospital objects 3120,hotel objects 3122, restaurant objects 3124, and other objects.Alternatively ZeeStore 3102 may be comprised of a plurality ofdistributed storage facilities each housing one or more type objects.ZeeTiles that contribute objects to render map tile 3108 might becomprised of a hotel tile 3110 for that map tile, containing just thehotels, a restaurant tile 3112 containing just the restaurants, ahospital tile 3114 containing just the hospitals, and so on.

In the example of the FIGS. 30-31, a ZeeGuide for a specific hospitalmight display the urban medical area that surrounds the hospital; a setof several ZeeTiles might render that area in a map to be displayed inthe ZeeGuide. One of those tiles might render the area that contains thespecific hospital. As shown in FIG. 31, the ZeeGuide might display, asmarkers, the hotels and restaurants in the neighborhood of the hospital.

FIG. 32 depicts a way that ZeeTiles recursively decompose into layers.Three “primitive” ZeeTiles might contain hotels 3110, restaurants 3112,and hospitals 3114 (further described in FIG. 31). In FIG. 32, twocomposites of these primitive ZeeTiles 3110, 3112 and 3114 are shown. Acomposite ZeeTile 3204 may contain just the hotels 3110 and restaurants3112. Another composite ZeeTile 3208 may contain just the hospitals 3114and restaurants 3112. These primitive and composite ZeeTiles may,together with the possible use of a ZeeCache, improve spatial data storeaccess.

An object query that returns the markers, hotels, and restaurantslocated in, for example map tile 3108 of the geographic map of FIG. 31,might be cached 3204 and answered whenever tile 3108 is requested. ThisZeetile 3204 might in turn be comprised of two other ZeeTiles, 3110 forhotels to be rendered in the map tile 3108, and 3112 for restaurants tobe so rendered.

Further in the example, another ZeeGuide might exist for a neighboringhospital. This second ZeeGuide might display, as markers, the hotels andrestaurants in the neighborhood of this second hospital. Because bothhospitals are located in the same map tile 3108, they may share thecached hotel and restaurant ZeeTile 3204. Similarly, hospitals andrestaurants for map tile 3108 may be cached in 3208. This maysignificantly improve spatial database access.

In a further development of this example, a third ZeeGuide might existfor one of the restaurants in map tile 3108. This third ZeeGuide mightdisplay, as markers, the hospitals and hotels in the neighborhood ofthis restaurant. Because the hotels for this third ZeeGuide are the sameas the hotels for the first two, the hotels might be referenced inZeeTile 3110, and the hospitals may be referenced in ZeeTile 3114.

These pre-computed spatial queries may provide performance benefits forspatial database access analogous to the performance benefits forspatial image access provided by these map tiling techniques.

A Zeetix may be associated with a business scenario such as managing asupply chain. Supply Chain Management describes how the operations of aSupply Chain are planned, deployed, and controlled. This includes theflow of raw materials, work-in-process management and the handling offinished goods. In short, the end-to-end flow of materials from originto consumption may be managed in a supply chain operation.

FIG. 33 depicts an example of a company that needs a system to manageboth the locations and quantity of suppliers. A supplier ZeeGuide 3300may be opened with one or two panes including an interactive suppliergeographical map 3304 and a visualization tree 3302 containing anenumeration of various categories of suppliers. Many companies managesuppliers through an approved vendor list that is typically representedby a text display of information about the supplier, or in analphabetized list of suppliers. Many supply chain management systems useacronyms or other abbreviations for suppliers making the list or textdisplay even more challenging to view and understand. Each supplierpresent in the tree 3302 is represented with a corresponding ZeeMarkeron the map 3304 so that the ZeeMarker is located at the geographicposition on the map 3304 corresponding to that supplier. Various kindsof suppliers, perhaps differentiated by category in the tree 3302, mightbe represented by various corresponding kinds of markers on the map3304. The user uses the map 3304 to navigate to a particular supplier byzooming and panning the map as needed. Alternatively, the user mayidentify one of the suppliers on the tree 3302 for viewing and the map3304 may automatically scroll/zoom to bring the selected supplier intoview in the map 3304. The user selects a supplier marker, causing asupplier detail ZeeWindow 3308 to popup that contains informationspecific to that particular supplier. The resulting supplier ZeeWindow3308 might contain information such as the name and address of thesupplier, particular information such as contract terms, inventory,goods-on-order for that supplier, and so on. The window 3308 might alsoinclude links that open other windows or ZeeGuides. The user might zoominto a particular neighborhood or region in order to see, at finerdetail, the geographic relationship among suppliers in that neighborhoodor region.

FIG. 34 depicts how a manager within the above company who needs toschedule a meeting, including a business lunch and dinner, with keyrepresentatives of three suppliers can do so within a specificneighborhood or region. The manager uses the above ZeeGuide to identifyand navigate to the neighborhood or region in question, selectingmarkers to collect the contact information for the representatives inquestion. She adds, to her browser, a hotel and restaurant ZeeGuide 3400for the region in question so that she views in her browser a ZeeMapthat includes markers for selected suppliers, hotels, and restaurants.She selects a suitable hotel on the hotel and restaurant ZeeGuide 3400.She selects its ZeeMarker and opens its ZeeWindow 3408. Inside the hotelZeeWindow 3408, she selects through to a hotel reservation page andmakes a pre-paid reservation. She selects a restaurant marker using theZeeGuide 3400 for the lunch and dinner meetings. Because the ZeeGuide3400 provides access to a variety of data systems, the manager can viewdetails about the restaurant in an overlay ZeeWindow 3410 and make thenecessary lunch and dinner reservations.

In FIGS. 35-37, a company needs a system to manage the quantity andlocation of its inventory, including raw materials, work-in-process, andfinished goods. The project team, perhaps in consultation with Zeetixrepresentatives, designs a “model” or “strategy” for how they choose tothink about the inventory management system. This model includes avisual representation, in the form of some sort of block or flowdiagram, of the contemplated solution. This visualization might beginwith a high-level “pipeline” showing process steps, process choices,connections between process steps, and so on. The visualization may bestored in a variety of formats, ranging from jpg images of hand-drawnsketches to structured graphics in file formats from tools like visio.The visualization is provided to the ZeeRIP where it is processed tocreate a stack of image tiles that define a ZeeDomain (spatial domain)that can be presented in a ZeeGuide or ZeeMap. ZeeTags are used toannotate the resulting ZeeMap, tying features from the visualizations toprograms, information, and data in company information systems. Anapplication is assembled, using various ZeeTools that createsZeeMarkers, ZeeWindows, and various other user-interface components intoan interactive diagram.

FIG. 35 depicts an exemplary visualization of a supply chain pipelineZeeGuide 3500 for some company. This visualization has been passedthrough the ZeeRIP, which defines a ZeeDomain, and includes ZeeWindowsthat are positioned in the ZeeDomain of this visualization usingZeeTags.

FIG. 36 depicts a ZeeGuide 3602 that results from zooming in on one ofthe Process Pipeline Steps in FIG. 35. The ZeeGuides in FIG. 35 and FIG.36 share access to the same information, such as in a ZeeStore. A userhas opened a ZeeWindow 3604 on the zoomed-in ZeeGuide 3602. This detailZeeWindow 3604 displays a list of items currently in process for thespecific process step to which it is attached. The list is updated inreal-time from a database associated with the process and/or the processstep with which ZeeWindow 3604 is associated.

The user may also add ZeeMarkers and ZeeWindows that annotate key imagefeatures. Each ZeeMarker may be attached to a specific item in a processusing a ZeeTag. As the item progresses through the pipeline, it'sZeeMarker and ZeeWindow moves through the ZeeGuide accordingly.

The user might interactively apply a “tag” to a particular item, causinganother marker with a distinctive icon to appear on the visualizationand identify the location and flow of that specific item through theremainder of the process. The user might click on this “item tag” at anysubsequent step to determine more information about that item as it isprocessed. Various zoom levels might have different representations,just as geographic maps change their appearance based on scale. Itemsthat are tagged can be tracked at ANY zoom level as they move throughthe entire pipeline. Note that because users interact with the systemthrough standard browsers, users can be distributed anywhere in theworld. This is particularly valuable for large, highly-distributedmultinational companies.

In FIG. 37, showing the zoomed ZeeGuide 3602 of the process pipelinesteps of FIG. 36, the user has opened a ZeeWindow 3702 at some time“TimePoint 1”, identified item XX02 in process step C of the process,and has attached a ZeeMarker 3704 to item XX02. The position of theZeeMarker 3704 shows that the annotated item XX02 is in Process Step C.

At some later time “Time Point 2”, the user has closed the ZeeWindow3702. Meanwhile, the item has advanced from Process Step C to adifferent process step in the same pipeline process. The new position ofthe ZeeMarker 3704 referencing the part XX02 shows this new location.

At some later time “Time Point 3”, the annotated item XX02 has moved toyet another pipeline step, Process Step H. This is reflected in the newlocation of the annotated ZeeMarker 3704 for item XX02. The user hasopened a ZeeWindow 3712 on the annotated ZeeMarker 3704 and sees therelevant information for Item XX02 that is now in Process Step H. Thisinformation has been updated in real-time from the informationmaintained in a shared ZeeStore.

The user has also opened another ZeeWindow 3710 on a different item,Item XX33, at a different step Process Step B in the same processingpipeline. The user has annotated Item XX33 with another ZeeMarker 3708so that the progress of item XX33 can also be followed, in real time,through the processing pipeline.

In this Supply Chain Management ZeeGuide, each ZeeWindow might itself beanother ZeeGuide, or might be an html window showing details such as thespecific items currently being handled at that step, what's been done bythem, and the like.

Supply chain data sources may include a wide variety of data sourcesthat already exist in a corporation information system that supportssupply chain management. The combination of spatial tags andvisualizations processed by the ZeeRIP allows ANY information or datathat exists on the web to be integrated into a system as hereindescribed. In a common spatial domain, Zeetices compose with otherZeetices on the same map.

The supply chain management examples of FIGS. 33-37 may be generalizedto solutions of at least the following four additional supply-chainmanagement problem areas:

Distribution network configuration: The flow between suppliers, numberand location of Suppliers, Production facilities, Distribution Centers,Warehouses, and Customers. Distribution Strategy: Spatially-organizedapproaches to centralized vs. decentralized facilities, direct shipping,cross-docking, push or pull strategies, third-party logistics

Information systems: Interactive visualizations of information systemsthroughout a supply chain that share information and data about, demandsignals, forecasts, Inventory, and Transportation

Cash-flow: Interactive visualizations pertaining to the arrangement ofpayment terms and the methods for exchanging funds across and amongentities within a supply chain.

Each of these four areas may also use Zeetix technology to organize andpresent geographically-organized information such as facility locations,routes, and regions.

This area includes, without limitation, compositions and integrations ofsystems that organize information geographically with systems thatorganize information spatially within arbitrary visualizations.

A ZeeGuide may help people do research on organizations in multipleways. A ZeeGuide user may experience this as a single, unified, userinterface. Organizational Research (OR) may be split into threesegments:

Ownership Research: Who are the investors in organization XYZ?Conversely, does organization XYZ have an ownership stake in any otherorganizations?

Partner Research: What is the relationship between organization XYZ andother organizations? Who are company XYZ's suppliers, distributionpartners, marketing partners, sales affiliates, etc?

Organization Information: For organization XYZ, who are the officers anddirectors, who are the key leaders (CEO, CFO, CTO, etc.)? Also, if thecompany is publicly reported, what is their revenue, expenses, etc?

FIGS. 38-40 depict an embodiment of Zeetix methods and systems tofacilitate ownership aspects of organizational research. A user mayvisit an organizational information and research site such as EDGAROnline or a brokerage firm to look for ownership information about anorganization XYZ. A ZeeGuide 3800 as shown in FIG. 38 may identifyorganization XYZ 3802, owners 3804, 3808, 3810 and may reflect therelative size of ownership through the ownership arrows 3812, 3814, and3818. Ownership of other businesses held by the owners of XYZ may alsobe indicated in a similar way. Entities that XYZ may have an ownershipinterest in may be represented in a similar way below XYZ 3802. In theexample of FIG. 38, XYZ has ownership interest in 3820 and 3822. Theinteractive and dynamic nature of a ZeeGuide 3800 may allow a user toselect various markers (3802-3822) and view additional information, suchas in an overlay ZeeWindow. Alternatively, selecting a marker, such asdouble clicking the marker, may result in the ZeeGuide re-rendering theZeeMap to show the selected entity as the ‘center’ of the screen to viewownership relationships with the entity.

FIG. 39 depicts a ZeeGuide resulting from selecting the ABC marker 3820as herein described. As is shown, XYZ entity 3902 is the sole owner ofABC Corporation 3920, however XYZ entity 3902 also maintains anownership interest in ZZZ corporation 3904.

Users could take further action on ABC 3920 (or any other companyvisible on the ZeeGuide), such as selecting the marker and linkspresented through one or more ZeeWindows, to purchase stock, accessother forms of information (e.g. Partner Research, OrganizationInformation, and the like). As a user zooms further in on a companymarker using the navigation features associated with a ZeeGuide and/orZeeMAP, additional details about the company, such as key personnel,would automatically appear.

FIG. 40 depicts an organization information view of a company that hasbeen zoomed in on as described in FIG. 39. Board members and their otherentity associations as well as roles of key personnel may be presentedas interconnected markers similarly to a passive organization chart.Alternatively, a user may wish to view the ownership informationarranged on a geographic map so that the user may determine where theowners of XYZ corporation are located. Spatial domain and informationsharing among ZeeGuides allows a user to bring up a travel ZeeGuideshowing the owner's city accommodations.

Data sources for ownership organization research may include on-linecompany databases and other public filings, company web sites, privatecompany databases (e.g. True Advantage), and the like.

An ownership organizational research ZeeGuide may demonstraterelationships among objects. Organizational objects may be tied to theirinvestors and investments, which in turn may be tied to their investorsand investments, etc. Objects also record the relative strength of theinvestor/investment ties (e.g., percent ownership or dollars invested).Organizational objects are tied to location information about theorganization (Where is it? What's nearby?) Organizational objects aretied to related information about the organization such as internalrelationships (officers and key personnel) and external relationships(partners, suppliers, etc.), which are described herein. Generally,ownership ZeeGuides could be embedded in most financial service sites,such as brokerages, mutual fund companies, and informational sites suchas Yahoo Finance and EDGAR Online. Relationships between money-giversand money-takers may also apply to voters or organizations donatingmoney to politicians, voters or organizations donating money toPolitical Action Committees (PACs), Political Action Committees (PACs)donating money to specific politicians, Participants in a syndicatedloan circle or the partners in an LLC, or Participants in a hedge fund.

A ZeeGuide may help people do research on the relationship between anorganization and other organizations to identify who are suppliers,distribution partners, marketing partners, sales affiliates, etc. for anorganization. The ZeeGuide may help determine the relative value ofthose relationships.

FIG. 41 depicts a partner ZeeGuide 4100 in which partners of an entity4102 can be viewed. The relative position and size and direction ofinterconnecting arrows may indicate certain aspects of the entity 4102partner relationship. In the example of FIG. 41, supplier AAA 4104 is aprime supplier to XYZ 4102 based on the large size of the arrow pointingfrom AAA 4104 to XYZ 4102. The view can also indicate that supplier AAA4104 is also a minor supplier to a potential competitor of XYZ 4102,namely entity QQQ 4108. Using these basic concepts, the ZeeGuide mayshow a flow of goods and/or services among organizations (e.g.suppliers→manufacturers→distributors→retailers). Other relationships,such as marketing partnerships 4110, and distributor relationships 4112may be shown.

FIG. 42 depicts a distributor view ZeeGuide 4200 that may result fromselecting one of the distributor relationships 4112 of FIG. 41. ZeeGuide4200 shows the relationships among suppliers to the distributor anddistribution relationships between the distributor and one or moreretail outlets. It may be beneficial to note that the direction andmagnitude of the interconnecting arrows may be used as an indicator ofaspects of the relationship such as distribution volume, frequency,dollar value, and the like. This example may facilitate understating howorganizational objects are tied to their partners, suppliers,distributors, and co-marketers, which are in turn tied to theirpartners, etc. Objects may also record the relative strength ofpartnership agreements (e.g., percentage of sale or dollar volume).Organizational objects may be tied to location information about theorganization (Where is it? What's nearby?). Organizational objects maybe tied to related information about the organization such as internalrelationships (officers and key personnel) and external relationships(partners, suppliers, etc.).

Referring to FIG. 43 which depicts elements of recursive editing, a mapAPI may present a map 4302 zoomed to a given magnification. The map APImay include user accessible presentation manipulation features such as azoom feature that may allow the user to adjust the presentation of thedata so that at least a portion of the map 4302 is presented at greatermagnification, providing a zoomed map 4304. The map 4302 and/or thezoomed map 4304 may consist of image tiles as here in described. Inembodiments, zoomed map 4304 may be a single image tile. Data associatedwith map 4302 may enable presenting zoomed map 4304 as a finerresolution image. However, map 4302 data may be insufficient to enablepresentation of a finer resolution. Consequently, zoomed map 4304 may bepresented with little or no useful map related data. In either scenario,zoomed map 4304 may be selected by a user of a recursive editingfacility 4308 to be modified. The recursive editing facility 4308 maypresent to the user a variety of tools, commands, menus, icons, and thelike that may facilitate manipulation and modification of the selectedzoomed map 4304. In an embodiment, network accessible resources 4310,such as images, DOI references, audio data, non-spatial data, map data,and the like may be accessible through the recursive editing facility4308. A user may use the recursive editor to identify one or morenetwork accessible resources 4310 to be associated with the zoomed map4304. The recursive editor may establish relationships between an editedversion of the zoomed map 4304 and the network accessible resources 4310based on user commands, gestures, and the like. A modified version ofthe zoomed map 4304 that includes the associations and relationshipsestablished by the recursive editor facility 4308 to the networkaccessible resources 4310 may be output and or saved as an updatedzoomed map 4312. The updated zoomed map 4312 may be linked with map 4302and/or zoomed map 4304 so that when the user accesses map 4302 and zoomsin to an image associated with zoomed map 4304, the updated zoomed map4312 will be presented in the map API display.

In an example of recursive editing, audio data may be associated with aportion of the edited version of the zoomed map 4304. When the map APIpresents updated zoomed map 4312, such as by zooming in from map 4302toward one or more image tiles represented by zoomed map 4304, the usermay interact with the presentation and access the audio data. Accessingthe audio data may include playing the audio data through a web browsersupporting the map API presentation.

ZeeGuides may also help people do research on the internal structure andfinancial information about an organization. A user may use a ZeeGuideto identify who are the officers and directors (see FIG. 40), who arethe key leaders (CEO, CFO, CTO, etc.), and if available, what is theorganization's revenue, expenses, stock prices, etc. Internal structureand financial information research ZeeGuides may facilitateunderstanding how an organization is tied to directors and officers andwhat ties the directors and officers have outside the organization.

In another embodiment, one or more Zeetices can be used to trackanything that moves through any real or virtual spatial domain.Locations might be determined by reading barcodes at specific places,real-time transmissions such as from cell phones or GPS receivers, ordata entry from known locations. Real spatial domains include, but arenot limited to, geographic areas such as delivery zones, locationswithin a factory, warehouse, store, or library, or locations within aspecimen, animal, person, or plant. Virtual spatial domains include, butare not limited to, locations within visualizations of a businessprocess, production process, work flow, or computer system or network.

A Zeetix subsidiary or franchisee might recognize a market opportunitywithin the shipping industry, tracking packages sent by a carrier suchas FedEx or UPS. A developer within the Zeetix subsidiary or franchiseemight create a Zeetix showing a map of the United States, and populatingthe Zeetix with ZeeObjects derived from real-time feeds of company datasuch that users might track when and where the shipment was picked up,when and where it was transferred from a local to a long-distancecarrier, what long-distance carrier handled the shipment, when and wherethe shipment was received, where the shipment currently is, and similarinformation. The Zeetix franchisee might administer the securitysettings with the Zeetix to allow only customers of the shipper toaccess certain of this information. The Zeetix franchisee might, inaddition, populate the Zeetix with information such as which driverhandled a particular segment of the shipment, what other parcels are onthe same shipment, and similar information private to the shippingcompany. The Zeetix franchisee might administer the security settings ofthe Zeetix to allow only specific employees of the shipper within theshipper's local area network (LAN) to access such private information.

Another Zeetix subsidiary or franchisee might recognize a marketopportunity within the pharmaceutical industry, tracking specimens andsamples through a laboratory processing pipeline. Ageographically-distributed team of developers, some in the US and somein Europe, within the Zeetix subsidiary or franchisee might use the ZDEto create a Zeetix, including a ZeeMap, showing the various stages ofthe processing pipeline, possibly correlated to another map showing thephysical layout of various plants, facilities, and geographies. Thesedevelopers, possibly using multiple programming languages andZeeBindings, might build ZeeObjects such that specimens to be analyzedare visually represented as images moving through the ZeeMap as thespecimen moves through the pipeline or process. The Zeetix userinterface might allow a user to zoom in on a particular stage orprocessing step and browse samples of interest. The representationwithin the Zeetix might acquire data in real time as a consequence ofthe pipeline or process, and such dynamically-acquired data might bepresented to the user in response to user gestures such as mouse clicks,drags, or keystrokes. As the samples reach the end of the pipeline, theymight be delivered to long-term storage locations such as refrigerators,incubators, or similar devices. The Zeetix might allow a user to browsewithin an on-screen representation of such a location, searching for aparticular sample, or the Zeetix might allow a user to request that thelocation of a particular specimen or specimens be highlighted on theZeetix.

The Zeetix subsidiary or franchisee might then package and sell thiscustom-designed Zeetix, complete with physical hardware, software,networks, and installation, as a stand-alone enterprise-scale LaboratoryInformation Management System (LIMS) product to pharmaceutical companieswith large-scale high-volume laboratory processing requirements, such asMerck, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and others.

The Zeetix subsidiary or franchisee might offer, sell, design, build,install, and support similar custom-designed Zeetices to othermanufacturers who have similar production lines or factories. EachZeetix might collect, manage, and display real-time information aboutWork In Process (WIP), production line bottlenecks and slowdowns,dynamic quality-assurance testing, and similar manufacturing data. Sucha Zeetix might be of particular interest to manufacturers using a “JustIn Time” inventory management approach.

Another Zeetix subsidiary or franchisee might recognize a marketopportunity with the Business Process Engineering industry, trackingdocuments and work products through a particular work-flow managementsystem or process. A team of developers might create a ZeeMap showingthe work flow and identifying various stages of the pipeline. This mightbe correlated with another ZeeMap, showing the physical layout ofoffices, facilities, computer systems and networks, and archival storagelocations. The team of developers might then create one or moreZeetices, populated with ZeeObjects representing various work products,resources, processes, and documents. Key individuals might carry andregister GPS-transmitting cell phones, allowing their location to betracked in real time by the Zeetix. This Zeetix or Zeetices might thenallow users to improve decision making, identify lost or misplaceddocuments, locate key individuals, accelerate processing times, andotherwise improve and optimize the business process.

The Zeetix subsidiary or franchisee might then offer, sell, design,build, install, and support these Zeetices to other companies as part ofa “business process engineering” product or solution offered by theZeetix subsidiary, franchisee, or third-party.

In another embodiment, a vehicle tracking system allows the locations ofvehicles to be maintained and displayed in real-time, along with otherinformation about them. Vehicle location information might be reportedby GPS receivers in the vehicle, passive devices embedded in pavement oralong streets and highways, photographic or video equipment located atintersections or checkpoints, and other similar technology. A vehicletracking system might be used within municipalities for tracking snowplows in winter, town-owned vehicles, school buses, police and firevehicles, or public transit vehicles such as buses, streetcars, andtrains. A vehicle tracking system might also be useful within taxicompanies, companies that offer home delivery or pickup.

A Zeetix franchisee might recognize a market opportunity within thecreation of a web-based vehicle tracking system. Developers within theZeetix franchisee might license ZeeMaps and ZeeObjects from othersources, and combine them with ZeeObjects representing current locationsof vehicles. The developers might then build a Zeetix that combines thisvehicle tracking information with related locations such as schools,businesses, highways, traffic emergencies, and so on. The developerswithin the Zeetix franchisee might administer the security settingswithin the Zeetix so that the customers of a taxi company might be ableto see the current location, on a map, of each taxi to see which arenearby, and so that the dispatchers might be able to additionally see,by clicking on a marker representing the current location of the taxi,the name and address of the fare the taxi is carrying or about to pickup. Executives and managers of the taxi company might be able tomonitor, in real time, expected fare collection amounts, vehicleperformance and maintenance information, and similar data.

The Zeetix franchisee might then sell access to this customized Zeetixon a subscription basis to companies, towns, and perhaps individuals.

A wide range of other virtual property embodiments are envisioned, eachhaving a suitable spatial domain and geography that permits navigationaround a virtual property or properties, as well as optionallayer-to-layer navigation via a zooming function. Embodiments includefinding restaurants within walking distance, finding the best way to getto work this morning, finding an apartment to rent, seeing the currentweather and road conditions, finding a place to stay and things to do ina tourist location, finding things to do in summer that are distinctfrom things to do in winter (a time- or season-based Zeetix), annotatingmedical images, organizing gene function information, researchingbiological pathways, browsing source code, registering spatial keys tovirtual property, mapping computer networks, school-related assignments,mapping customers to advertising markets, placing the entries of a webserver's logfile on a map, mapping enterprise hierarchies, such asorganizational charts, and many others. In a log file embodimentsubscribers to a specific service might see the entries, and companiesthat sell web-based tools for traffic management can map the locationsof their subscribers—and construct all sorts of interesting overlaidmaps—based on the log data.

In embodiments a Zeetix may be used for synthesizing real and virtualdescriptors like Zip codes, Keyword Search Terms, SMS Handles, PhoneNumbers, Network Domains, Real Property, IP/Personal Registry, and otherhierarchical information.

Integrating a “web beacon”, which may be represented by a 1×1 pixelclear object in a browser with the methods and systems of spatial domainorganization, visualization, and the like herein described mayfacilitate tracking any user gesture (e.g. mouse-click, rollover,selection, pause, and the like) that is detectible in the web browser orany add-in associated therewith. An object-oriented software embodimentof at least one functional web beacon as herein described may furtherfacilitate tracking user interactions. In addition, developing andmaintaining a history of interactions of initially anonymous users maybe further facilitated by using cookies.

Active scripting technology, such as in a web2.0 environment, mayfacilitate emitting and journaling a tracking event (e.g. on a server)for each user interaction with a browser—whether or not it involves apage load (and most don't). In an example, tracking the opening orclosing of a widget on the browser page may be accomplished by adding atracking call to an existing event handler associated with the browser.An advantage of using active scripting technology to interact with thebrowser to track each user action through the browser event handlerinstead of simply tracking each page view (e.g. new web page request) isthat all user actions, even new page views, are properly detected,tracked, and made available to a wide variety of uses. This may addressa potential tracking problem with currently implemented versions ofweb2.0, such as conventional page views are meaningless.

A computer that is enabled to receive cookies may receive a cookie whena user first encounters a Zeetix. The cookie may be time-stamped and mayidentify the content, web pages, Zeetix, Zeetix host, and other machineand browser event information at the time that the cookie is loaded tothe computer. The cookie may allow for any and all subsequent browseractivity associated with any Zeetix or related resource to be trackedand thereby may be associated with a user of the computer. In anexample, if a user of the computer later navigates to a differentZeeGuide on a different site, the information related to the usernavigation, ZeeGuide access, and sponsoring site may be collected andassociated with the already collected data through the cookie. Suchtracking also allows for identifying when a user of the computer opens azeeWindow. The user may be invited to create a user account. Once theaccount is created, the data that has been collected since at least theestablishment of the cookie may be associated with the user account. Inthis way user interaction data can be collected wherever the user logsinto the system in the future, not just when the user accesses thecomputer with the cookie. By associating each logged in action with theuser, a permanent “trajectory” of the user's actions on any Zeetix maybe maintained indefinitely. The result may include a personalizedhistory of all of the user's interactions on any Zeetix or related website or resource.

An archive of personalized user histories may have enormous commercialvalue and may prove to be very valuable to advertisers, such asadvertisers who want to target users. Current keyword advertising modelsare based on the premise that web crawlers can analyze pages to derivekeyword value. Because web2.0 page links do not link to static pages,web crawlers cannot generate the data required for current keyword basedadvertising. There may be no computationally practical way to staticallyanalyze a web of links where most or all of the links change on eachvisit. Consequently a keyword based advertising model that utilizes webcrawler based content analysis may be severely limited in web2.0.

The methods and systems of browser event based tracking described hereinmay fill critical advertising and other targeting needs in web2.0.Rather than using crawler data and inferences to rate keyword values, bytracking all interactions with the various embodiments of the spatialdomain organization and visualization methods and systems describedherein, actual experience data can be used. In an example, the trackingdescribed herein provides for data that determines how many times aparticular asset is visited and by whom. Additionally, by trackingbrowser events through cookies or user registration, the assets that aparticular user visits can be determined. Therefore monetizationbehavior may be based on real history, including history spread acrossan entire user population, rather than estimates or ratings.

Mapping APIs, such as the Google Map API and other potentially relatedofferings generally facilitate presentation through a prescribed format.Mapping APIs provide a protocol for carving existing image stacks,including stacks at varying resolutions, into precomputed tiles andserving those tiles to web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox,and the like. Generally, even for custom map applications, the useparadigm has been to start with existing images or image definitions,and layering or associating object structures on the images to allowfunctions such as zoom, browse, image combination (e.g. satellite androad view), and the like. Therefore, currently the image files, whichmay be image tile files, are a source on which a map presentation isbased and various slicing and dicing APIs are layered on top of them.

In an aspect of the invention, methods and systems may includearbitrary-resolution image editing. Arbitrary-resolution image editingmay utilize a mapping API, such as the Google Map API and the like, tofacilitate a framework for image editors that enable image editing atany arbitrary resolution. An arbitrary resolution may be represented bya tile, which may include an image tile file, wherein each tile can becreated and/or edited from within the mapping API image editorframework. Alternatively, each tile may be created and/or edited outsideof the framework. An edited tile may originate within the framework andmay be returned to the framework after editing. A newly created tile maybe based at least in part on a specification that allows the tile to beused in the framework. Alternatively, a newly created tile may becreated outside of the framework, and transformed so that it can be usedwithin the mapping API framework. The arbitrary-resolution image editoras herein described may be known as and herein referred to as a“recursive image editor” or “recursive editor”. A recursive editor mayoffer an immediate visual interface, portal, and broad framework to therich and rapidly-emerging web 2.0 universe.

The recursive image editor may support creating/editing images at anarbitrary resolution. An arbitrary resolution may include discreteresolutions, such as those determined by integer coordinates. Anarbitrary resolution may also include resolutions represented by real,non-integer coordinates. The recursive editor, and at least a ZeeDomainas herein described, facilitates viewing and manipulating images withnon-integer resolution. In an example, an integer 640×480 image mayallow any integer pixes to be editable with existing image editors. Aninteger editor may allow editing of a pixel in position 639,479. Thesame 640×480 image may be viewable and editable so that non-integerpixels may be edited by a recursive image editor. In this example, therecursive image editor may allow editing of a pixel representinglocation 639.99999999,479.99999999. The recursive image editor allowsany arbitrary real value coordinate to be used to specify a portion ofan image to view, create, or edit.

One potential inspiration for a recursive editor is perhaps the popularpresentation program Power Point. Although Power Point includes nativeediting capabilities, it may be more like a framework for assemblingimages, documents, media, spreadsheets, and the like that are oftencreated by other editor programs. One may view the various toolsavailable in the Power Point user interface to generally call out tothese external programs. This is why a Power Point like presentationtool is such a convenient way of assembling and presenting materialcreated in multiple media formats. Although Power Point supports linkingand assembling this variety of image and data sources, it does notaccomplish arbitrary-resolution presentation, editing, and the like inthe context of spatial domain navigation. A recursive image editor asherein described may exploit the mapping API map tiling paradigm tocreate arbitrary-resolution images while enabling an assembly frameworkfor diverse information data sources and formats that can be renderedthrough the mapping API interface.

The recursive editor may also be characterized as a recursive editor inthat it may manage a coordinate system, zoom levels, and object-storeinteractions as described herein, along with other features that relateto Zeetix, Zeetix Domain, ZeeMap, and the like. Within the framework ofa mapping API, changing zoom levels, such as by clicking a ‘zoom’ bar inthe map API user interface may open a modifiable version of an existingtile or may enable creating a new modifiable tile. The recursive editoror a platform based around the recursive editor may use any of a varietyof web service and/or REST-style protocols to lash-up and use existingeditors, such as text editors, map editors, graphic editors, imageeditors, audio editors, video editors, and the like. In an example, thebusiness and technical drawing program Visio uses xml-formatted filesthat can readily be rendered by the recursive editor. Edits and/orcreated content generated within the recursive editor can readily beexported in xml-formatted files that would be suitable for use by Visioand other xml-based file format editing and presentation tools.

In another example, various mapping API presentation tools, such asGoogle Earth, currently are limited in resolution depth by the imagesource data available. When a user zooms in to a very fine resolution,the presentation may loose focus, stop zooming, and/or simply becomegray tiles that may indicate that imagery at the selected level of zoomis not available. The user has no option but to zoom to a lowerresolution (zoom out) to work with the tool. When this same image sourcedata is accessed by the recursive editor, each zoom level (e.g. imagetile) can be fully editable. Therefore as the resolution of the sourceimagery reaches a presentation limit, the recursive editor couldfacilitate the user editing the image, such as by importing images orother data. In this way, the recursive editor could, for example, allowa user to zoom to such a fine resolution that the presentation wouldpass through the roof of their home and present the interior of theirhome based on user provided images of their home.

By enabling a recursive editor user to modify or create image tiles atany zoom level, the recursive editor may allow the user to limit editingto only those tiles visible in a web browser presenting the mapping APIdata. The user could use the navigation tools, such as zoom and pan, toselect new tiles to modify/create. Relationships between and amongtiles, including tiles that are modified, created, and already existingmay be managed by the recursive editor or any of the other methods andsystems disclosed herein. Any relationships of image tiles alreadyexisting within the mapping API framework or the source image data mayalso be maintained and/or referenced.

An important benefit and utility of the recursive editor is that eachand every editable element (e.g. each displayed pixel) can be associatedwith any arbitrary information, such as an entire zoom stack that may bebased on the same or different spatial dimensions. The associationsavailable to be created and managed can have arbitrary and infinitespatial resolution. The associations may be to finer resolution images,alternate views of images, related or associated information,information with different dimensions, non-spatial data, and the like.

Computational complexity of recursive editing arbitrary and infiniteresolution tiles may be managed by dealing with only those tiles thatthe user actually edits. A persistent object state may thus emerge to besaved as the each image tile is interacted with. The computationalcomplexity may be further supported by the image tiling presentationtechniques being rendered by the mapping API (e.g. the Google map API),whereas the recursive editor may provide the creation and editing. Inaddition to actual user gestures collected in real-time through arecursive editor user interface, the recursive editor may be driventhrough other API tools in order to generate visualizations and automateimage tile creation or modification under program control.

The recursive editor may be characterized as an infinite-resolutioncamera/editor/microscope/3Dportal. The recursive editor may be web-basedso that no special software is required to use it. In an example, therecursive editor may be accessed through a web browser that isdisplaying the Google map API by incorporating a user accessible ‘edit’command icon/button to the Google map API user interface. The recursiveeditor may also be accessible through a ZeeGuide as herein described bymeans of an edit function. The ZeeGuide edit function may becommand/icon based or may be activated through inference of usergestures and interaction with the ZeeGuide.

Editing image tiles with the recursive editor may include opening acopy, such as a private copy of a tile. The tile copy may be freelyedited while maintaining associations with the original image tile orimageless tile. An exemplary editing session may include using therecursive editor/mapping API user interface to zoom in to a subset of atile (e.g. moving down an image stack to a finer resolution layer) anddrawing or pasting a real estate plot plan or a building floor plan.Editing may include non-geographic related data and applications. Therecursive editor may be used to create tiles that may be rendered topresent various visualizations of arbitrary data structures as hereindescribed. At various times, the user might be invited to save thecurrent work (or perhaps the tiles are saved automatically). Thenewly-created tiles might be seeded, such as with a zoomed copy ofanother tile (e.g. the next higher tile in the zoom stack). Seeding maybe based on user preferences, default preferences, a user profile, andthe like.

When considering the recursive editor in the context of the methods andsystems herein described that enable the organization, management,visualization, association, attribute assignment, presentation and thelike of information around one or more spatial domains, a ZeeImage (e.g.a recursive edited/originated image tile or group of tiles) may be partof an object network that includes coordinate space, features,resolutions, and the like. A source for the information accessiblethrough the ZeeImage may be the object network itself. The objectnetwork may be traversed, as needed by editing or rendering tools tocreate image files for use by mapping API frameworks, such as the Googlemap API. The result may include each image tile being a rendering ofpart of the object network. Files, such as files accessible through theobject network or files from outside the object network may be used assources of data import, export, reference, and the like for recursiveediting and creation. However, the data may not be physically copiedfrom the source to an image tile file. The recursive editor mayfacilitate referentially identifying these sources so that theidentified sources may be accessed through the network during ZeeMapnavigation (for example) and rendered. In addition to identifying datasources, the recursive editor may facilitate describing how the sourcesshould be accessed, rendered, associated with other sources, and thelike. The recursive edited/created image may be part of or associatedwith a Zeetix framework and infrastructure as herein described so thatit maintains consistency of objects, rendering compatibilities, andbrowser compatibility and accessibility throughout the full spectrum ofspatial domain navigation including zooming through mapping APIpresentation layers.

A Zeetix may represent the widespread and fundamental application oflife science principles to the creation and development of a web-basedinformation environment. The methods and systems of a Zeetix may embodyin software, the internet, and business in general, the biologicmechanisms found in nature. One such biologic mechanism is DNA. DNA thatencodes a particular protein, enzyme, or structure in one organismbehaves the same when moved to another organism. As herein described,the Zeetix may be embodied in software that may be canonical in nature.This canonical-based software code is described herein to facilitate usewith any type of application, programming code and the like therebyensuring that the Zeetix code behaves the same regardless of theapplication or programming environment. In this way a Zeetix embodieskey characteristics of DNA. As a simplified example, a Zeetix can beaccessed through any web browser, mapping API, and the like and deliverthe same results or provide the same renderings. In another exampleZeeBindings facilitate access to the entire Zeetix framework from a Javaprogramming environment and from a Python programming environment.Although the Java and Python programmers experience the programming invery different ways, the structures, objects, associations, and otheraspects of the Zeetix environment behave the same to both programmers.

In nature a DNA mechanism is causally-reflective and meta-circular.Although the various mechanisms of life are themselves constructed fromproteins encoded in DNA, these proteins frequently act to change theirown DNA. This is fundamental and powerful. Much like DNA that can beacted on by the protein from which it is encoded thereby transformingthe DNA, the interpretation of associated Zeetix objects, or objectattributes can transform how a Zeetix may be presented in a web browser.Associations of objects may cause changes in the Zeetix. In an example,an association of a restaurant that is part of a hotel may cause thehotel to be viewed as a place to eat or a place to sleep. The removal ofthe restaurant may result in the hotel only being viewed as a place tosleep.

A Zeetix and DNA have other similarities including the dual nature ofbeing passive and active, based on context. In an example, when DNA isbeing copied and repaired (such as during cell reproduction), that DNAis treated as “data” to the reproduction process. However, when the sameDNA is being expressed, such as when being transcribed and thentranslated into protein, that DNA is treated as an operator that directsthe expression. A Zeetix may embody this dual nature. In an example whendirected graphs of Zeetix objects are being copied, edited, anddownloaded, the directed graphs are being treated as “data” by theprocess accessing the Zeetix objects. However, when those same directedgraphs are being read and interpreted, such as when rendering a map orweb page, the directed graph is being treated as code that directs therendering.

Whether in nature, business, or human interactions, development isgenerative and emergent, rather than constructive and designed. Innature, it is known that even the simplest organism cannot beblueprinted. An organism emerges as a consequence of an iterativeapplication of natural law and constraints, such as environmentalconstraints. A Zeetix infrastructure may facilitate creating anenvironment within which successful software and businesses can emergeas a consequence of an iterative application of Zeetix-specificconstraints imposed on the environment. The Zeetix infrastructurerequires no specific design or blueprint for a specific Zeetix site.

Biologic processes convert energy into intermediate forms that are thenmetabolized by organic processes in a self-sustaining cycle. Afundamental aspect of the methods and systems herein described is anability to actively track interactions with all facets of a Zeetix. Theactive tracking technology described herein may facilitate convertinguse of the Zeetix resources (e.g. objects within the Zeetix environment)into value for the users, participants, object owners, facilitators, andthe like. The value may be a form of tradable currency, internal usagecounts, measures of user interaction, and the like that may be used forgrowth. In an example, a business, such as hotels.com that receives ashare of revenue generated through user access to object resources (e.g.booking a hotel accessed through a ZeeMap), may use a portion of theshared revenue to expand exposure such as by buying a branded icon to bepresented in ZeeGuides. Similarly, the Zeetix may track interactions andautomatically upgrade hotels.com to a branded icon based on achievingcertain tracking thresholds. Branded hotels.com icons may increase userinteraction resulting in a self-sustaining cycle.

The Zeetix environment may facilitate establishing a micro-economy, suchas one based on usage-metering, super-distribution, easy e-commerce, andthe like. By enabling easy connection between information producers andinformation consumers, a facilitator of a Zeetix platform may profitthrough participating in the micro-economy. In an example, a facilitatormay receive a portion of cash flows associated with transactions thatare enabled by the connection of an information producer with aninformation consumer.

Rather than being constrained by a specific information producer, aZeetix environment may reward and sustain an arbitrary number ofproducers. If even only a few succeed, a revenue sharing Zeetix maybegin to sustain itself. Because of the infinite resolution andunconstrained nature of Zeetix associations, rapid and viral growth ispossible for the Zeetix organism, its participants, facilitators, andthe like.

Life's biologic processes accomplish diversity, selection, andproliferation by wiring a degree of variability into the mechanisms ofDNA, reproduction, and so on. This results in naturally-occurring DNAvariability. An environment of the DNA selects those variants that aremost adaptive to that specific environment; consequently when anenvironment changes, the organisms within that environment change inresponse to the environment change. In this way organisms thatproliferate are highly optimized for the specific environment withinwhich they proliferate.

In an analogous way, a Zeetix may wire “self-diversification” into thebasic mechanisms of its environment. As described herein, a Zeetix maybe object-oriented or component oriented so that new objects andbehaviors are rarely constructed from scratch. Instead, modifyingexisting Zeetix components is much easier than creating new ones fromscratch. As a result, the predominantly modifying-nature of Zeetixobject and map creation results in a naturally-occurring variability ofcomponents, software, applications, and businesses within the Zeetix. Acompetitive business marketplace is highly selective, therefore within aZeetix business environment, those variants that are most adaptive tothat specific business environment may proliferate. Also, based at leastin part on the associative capabilities of a Zeetix, when a businessenvironment changes, the “business organisms” within that environmentmay change.

In an example, a hotels.com web page may be associated with a localbusiness based on a proximity to the business. That same web page, whichmay be a ZeeObject, may be linked to an event, such a historical event.A new hotel that may be very close to a business may be presented on alocal business ZeeGuide but may not be included in a historical ZeeGuideof the same geographic area. The ZeeGuide of the business environmentassociated with the historic event would self select those hotels thatwere in existence near the historic event, whereas a ZeeGuide of thelocal business environment would self select the hotels available today.

Certain images and shapes are visible only through the use of acomputer; the images do not exist otherwise. Some examples are “JuliaSets” and “Mandlebrot Sets”. Typically, such an image is defined bycombining one or more mathematical relationships with some rendering orvisualization rules that produce an image. A potentially relevant subsetof these images has infinite resolution. Infinite resolution images maybe characterized by the ability to reveal additional detail at any givenresolution of a section of the image when the image is magnified. Inparticular, Julia Sets and Mandlebrot Sets produce images of infiniteresolution.

An Abaxoscope is a tool that allows a user to create, see, annotate,store, and publish infinite resolution images that otherwise exist onlyin the computer. The Abaxoscope may use the recursive image editor asherein described. The Abaxoscope may also include mathematicalvisualization tools to create and perhaps store one or more mapping APItiles that comprise an infinite resolution image. Storinginfinite-resolution image tiles may be performed by a computercontemporaneously with image rendering. The Abaxoscope may also beavailable to any user, such as through a web browser.

In embodiments, infinite resolution images may be referenced by the termAbaxograph. Features discovered or created in an abaxograph at anarbitrary resolution may be annotated using the interactive tools,features, and capabilities associated with a Zeetix as herein described.Each abaxograph may be associated with a spatial domain and the spatialdomain may be unique to the abaxograph. Therefore, each abaxograph canbe independently investigated, studied, and perhaps commercialized.

A Julia Set is an example of an infinite resolution image that may beassociated with the methods and systems herein. At any resolution, aparticular pixel or set of pixels on the boundary of a Julia set expandsunder magnification to reveal additional substructure that comprises theboundary. This process continues arbitrarily because it is infinitelyrecursive. As a Julia Set is magnified, new images appear. The appearingimages may be compared to a tile, such as a ZeeTile or a recursive imageeditor tile, or the like. Because all images produced in a Julia Set aregenerated from a common mathematical starting point, tiles that containthe images are ideally suited for the herein described Recursive ImageEditor delayed evaluation techniques that facilitate managing processingresources by processing only tiles that relate to a currentvisualization.

An abaxoscope, like the telescope and the microscope, facilitatescreating associated fields of study. An abaxoscope may allow visualizingelements, such as ZeeObjects that may exist in the field of view buttheir visualization is resolution dependent. While a microscope bringsinto view physical items, an abaxoscope may bring into view objects andtheir relationships, such as their mathematical relationships in a JuliaSet.

As describe earlier, like the telescope and microscope, that abaxoscopemay create novel and perhaps commercially valuable areas of scientificinquiry—scientific abaxoscopy. In an example, demographic informationmay provide a domain that may be explored with an abaxoscope. At a lowresolution, demographics may be limited to local or regional averages.Changing to a high abaxoscopy resolution, demographics may be associatedwith a household. Increasing abaxoscopy resolution further may reveal anindividual's demographics. In another example, time change is similar toa mathematical progression. When looking at a low time resolution, ahuman generation may be marginally visible. When adjusting theabaxoscope to high time resolution, an individual event such as a humanbirth may be observed. Adjusting to even higher time resolution mayallow visualization of a cell dividing.

The abaxoscope facilitates visualizing multiple dimensions or domains.Using the methods and systems of visualizing layers with arbitrarydimension herein described, an abaxoscope may facilitate traversingvisually from a geographic region at time ‘x’ along one spatialdimension to an individual still at time ‘x’ along a time dimension tothe individual at new time ‘y’ and then along the original spatialdimension to the geographic region at time ‘y’. Such a progression mayshow a child in a field and then show the child growing to an adult andthen show the field is now a sub division of homes.

Some terms that may facilitate an understanding of the conceptsdescribed herein include:

Abaxoscopy may be used for the study of interpreting the images seenwith an Abaxoscope. Using a telescope and microscope analogy, abaxoscopyis analogous to astronomy and microscopy. Abaxograph may be used torefer to infinite resolution images. Abaxography may be used for thestudy of the images themselves. Abaxography may include study of howinfinite resolution images (e.g. image tiles) are created, edited,printed, updated, published, and so on. Abaxography may include thestudy of rules and dependencies among abaxographs and relationshipsbetween dimensions within and among abaxographs. Abaxonomy may be thescience of classifying Abaxographs into domains and fields for furtherinvestigation.

An example of a potential commercial use of the Abaxoscope may berelated to the fields of developmental biology and artificial life.Research suggests certain modeling techniques similar to computingmodified Julia Sets may produce a very rich set of morphologies whichare similar in appearance and several important characteristics to thoseof real organisms. Visualizing these models with the abaxoscope maybenefit current bioinformatics research in the fields of developmentalbiology and artificial life.

A web-based desktop of arbitrarily large resolution that may be enabledby an abaxoscope and zeetix methods and systems as herein disclosed maybe called a Zee-Top. An abaxoscope may also be referred to as aZeeScope. The ZeeScope and the ZeeRIP may be used to create acustomizable, interactive desktop that may initially be mostly-blankwith user selected or suitable default background color. Because one ofthe potential uses for a Zee-Top is as a interactive visual interfacefor a user, the Zee-Top supports any user selected or created landmarkor other feature that is preferred by the user to facilitate navigation.A user may create a Zee-Top to customize such as by using thecustomizable interactive desktop generated by a Zee-Scope and a ZeeRIP.The user may also customize it by adding ZeeMarkers that may representresources such as folders, files, bookmarks, urls, tools, printers,mailers, fax interfaces, and any other computing resource includingsoftware, hardware, other users, applications, traditional desktopitems, images, and the like. These ZeeMarkers may be created,positioned, edited, and so on as the user chooses. A ZeeWindow may beassociated with each ZeeMarker and may invoke arbitrary actions whenclicked, such as opening the file, accessing a url, and so on.

The Zee-Top facilitates a user maintaining any number of resources (e.g.everything for which he or she uses a computer) in a visual interface.This is contrasted with a conventional desktop that is spatially limitedto the resolution of the physical user interface, typically a LCD typeof monitor. A conventional web browser, finder, desktop may be limitedby the physical platform that the user interface is running on. Incontrast to this, the ZeeTop is accessible to a user from any browser onany platform anywhere that has web access. Since the Zee-Top hasessentially unlimited spatial dynamic zooming resolution, a user cansimply arrange frequently used resources in a virtual equivalent ofphysical space in that once placed as a ZeeMarker, resources remainwherever the user places them. Because a ZeeMarker may be a visualindicator of a web-based shortcut to a resource, one resource can beaccessed from any number of ZeeMarkers that may be placed anywhere elseon the Zee-Top.

As described herein, ZeeMarkers, landmarks, and the like that may beused in a Zee-Top may exist in a visualization layer that can be madeprivate or shared to whatever audience the user chooses. Therefore anynumber of ZeeMarkers may be associated with a particular visualizationlayer that can be published for general public access or be madeaccessible to one or more restricted groups of users. In this way a usermay signal shared access of a portion of his/her Zee-Top elements byassociating shared elements with an externally accessible layer.

At a given level of zoom, if a particular area of the Zee-Top becomesovercrowded or cluttered, the user can use the recursive editing methodsand systems disclosed herein to create more desktop visualization space,such as by dynamically zooming to a different level within the arbitraryresolution Zee-Top web-based interface. Alternatively a marker managermay optionally be used to facilitate representing a group of nearbyelements with a single marker. Such a marker may be considered a groupmarker. A group marker may be automatically generated based on a levelof clutter or overcrowding. An automatically generated group markervisual presentation may be based on an aspect of the markers that itrepresents. Alternatively a group marker may be manually generated by auser. In either case, the group marker may be customized by the user toallow easy recognition by the user of the represented group.

To facilitate maximum performance interacting with the Zee-Top, a localZee-Store of information associated with the Zee-Top may be deployed ona user computer. A local Zee-Store may be deployed automatically basedon response time to user access to ZeeMarkers. Alternatively, a user mayinteract with a Zee-Store deployment facility to specify preferences,request the deployment of a local Zee-Store, and the like.

In an example, a user may store and organize bookmarks, favorites, andthe like through a Zee-Top. Such an embodiment may bring all of theadvantages of the Zee-Top's direct manipulation interface to daily useof computing resources such as those resources that are accessible overa network such as the internet. One critical advantage of a Zee-Top isthat it enables the collection of bookmarks/favorites to be availablefrom any browser on any networked computer, including wired and wirelessdevices.

In another embodiment, a Zee-Top may be used to organize and maintainemail, allowing email to be sent, received, and organized in a visuallyintuitive and easily accessible interface that allows dynamicassociation with many other types of daily use resources such as files,documents, messaging, archives, planners, databases, and the like. Emailmay be grouped with the other resources using the automated groupingcapabilities of a Zee-Top. An important advantage is that theassociations, groups, and other ways of referencing email and resourcesthrough a Zee-Top are accessible from any networked computer.

In another example, a Zee-Top may be used to support group work. AZee-Top facilitated virtual meeting may allow participants to see eachothers work dynamically and in real time. The Zeetix layer publicationcapabilities may allow participants to scribble notes to each other onprivate shared layers. Because the Zee-Top operates independently of anyspecific client user interface (e.g. browser), dynamic updating of agroup working session may enable participants to see other's changes onthe fly as they are entered by each participant. For example, a group ofattorneys might use a region of a shared Zee-Top for displayingdifferent drafts of various sections of a complex filing, so that eachcan see and comment on the other's work rapidly.

Zee-Top functionality may be made available by a provider under any of avariety of availability models. Availability models may includeadvertising supported, subscription based, licensed, and the like. In anexample of advertising supported Zee-Top, advertising may be presentedas a part of the Zee-Top. The advertising may be embodied in a ZeeMarkerand therefore may support dynamic interaction capability such as URLaccess, pop-up window display, and the like. An advertising supportedmodel may be based on advertisers paying for advertisement placementwithin a Zee-Top. This model may also support advertisers paying foruser specific placement that may be based on a specific user, userdemographics, Zee-Top content, and the like. In a subscription-basedZee-Top availability model, the subscription may replace revenue in theadvertising supported model so that no advertising is required in thesubscription model. The subscription-based model may also be a SAS(Software-As-Service) embodiment. In a licensed availability model, acorporation, business, organization, government agency, educationalinstitution, and the like may pay license fees to use Zee-Top servicessuch as for accessing and sharing information within an intranet.

Each pixel of each window displayed on the desktop of a user has bothvalue and cost to the participants in the process of presenting andviewing the window. Pixels may be valued based on the time and attentionof the user viewing the pixels. All of the hardware, software, content,distribution, publication, regulation, and delivery mechanisms thatpresent that pixel to the user cost money, money that somebody pays. Aconventional advertising model includes an advertiser paying for theprivilege of presenting promotional content from that advertiser to theuser, whether or not the user values the promotion. Such promotionalcontent is often associated with “free” content that the user doesconsider valuable. In the conventional advertising model, thisadvertising occupying a portion of a window is thus the “price” that theuser is forced to pay in order to have access to the “free” content.

The choice of how much space (e.g. how many pixels and the position ofthose pixels) within a browser window that is dedicated to advertisingis generally made by the page publisher. The only choice available tothe user is whether or not to view the page; the user is generally notempowered to set advertising rates, select advertising of value to theuser, or receive compensation for the time the user wastes filteringadvertising (or content) that is not of value to the user.

“User-pull” content is a collection of behaviors that allow a user toexplicitly identify content (including but not limited to advertisingcontent) of value to that user, potentially allocate display regions tocontain the resulting content, and potentially participate in an onlinenegotiation with content suppliers about the value to that user ofspecific content. This value may be a form of tradable currency,internal usage counts, measures of user interaction, or similarmeasurements.

A “value promise” is an assertion by a content supplier (including butnot limited to advertising content) that a particular collection ofcontent has a specified value to a specified user or collection ofusers. The value promise might be expressed as an amount of tradablecurrency, internal usage counts, measures of user interactions, orsimilar quantities.

The user may specify content preferences, such as through a profile orsimilar mechanism, by selecting or creating tags, keywords, and the likethat the user finds representative of valuable content. Contentsuppliers, potentially including advertisers, may optionally associatetags or keywords with content that they supply. Techniques such as RSSfeeds, “semantic web” technologies, various “folk-tagging” and“tag-cloud” technologies, and the like may provide a mechanism foridentifying content that is valuable to the user through variousassociations of the user specified content preferences and the availablecontent. These and/or new content harvesting and matching technologiesmay be employed to facilitate consumer/supplier financial exchangerelationships.

The Zeetix environment may facilitate connecting users with contentsuppliers using profiles, tags, internal usage counts, measures of userinteraction, and similar mechanisms. A Zeetix user might be representedby one or more persistent ZeeObjects, such as a persistent personalprofile objects, that collect and store choices and preferences made bythat user. As described elsewhere herein the Zeetix environment may beimplemented as object-oriented “all the way down”, so that every object(e.g. including the executable fragments of code that comprise theenvironment) might retain both an “owner” (e.g. assigned and/ormaintained by the Zeetix environment), usage counts and history(potentially using the browser event tracking technology describedherein), per-interaction or per-use pricing decisions made by the ownerof each Zeetix Object or resource (including but not limited toexecutable code objects) involved in any exchange, and the like.Collections of content created or aggregated by content suppliers maysimilarly be represented by persistent Zeetix Objects, with similarassociated ownership and usage information recorded and persistentlystored for each content object or each aggregation of content objects.Other Zeetix Objects or aggregations of Zeetix Objects, using these samefacilities, may be adapted to provide functionality for collecting anddisbursing both online and offline payments. Zeetix technology may beused to create, maintain, and provide alternative online currency andassociated accounting systems. The Zeetix environment may facilitatecollecting revenue from content suppliers and users in consideration forcreating, sustaining, and growing these connections and theinfrastructure that supports and sustains them.

The Zeetix environment may collect from a content supplier an amount ofmoney corresponding to a value promise associated with a bundle ofcontent. The Zeetix environment may collect from a user an amount ofmoney in consideration for providing the user with a mechanism forlimiting content to that which the user finds valuable. The Zeetixenvironment may provide a user with an interactive mechanism fordeclaring that the value to the user is different from the value promiseassociated with a bundle of content, and for making or facilitating afinancial transaction to or from the user and to or from a contentsupplier to reflect this difference. The Zeetix environment may includea mechanism for an operator or facilitator of the Zeetix environment toderive revenue from a difference between amounts received or paid to orfrom users, content suppliers, or both.

In embodiments, these mechanisms may include on-line registration,profile management, keyword assignment and modification, and variousforms of e-commerce including credit card, debit card, ACH, and similartransactions. Each monetary transaction may make use of virtual or realcurrency, using public, private or proprietary currency orcurrency-equivalents. These mechanisms may allow the user to specifydefined display regions, statically and dynamically, and of both fixedand variable sizes, on a per-page, per-view, or site-wide basis. Thesemechanisms may facilitate allowing content suppliers to provide staticor dynamic content that fills these display regions. They may facilitatethe online interactive collection of gestures through which users andcontent suppliers communicate and conduct the unfolding valuenegotiation between a user and a content supplier. For example, a usermight use Zeetix technology to select and place pre-defined rectangularareas on an online interactive “wireframe” of a user-specified “news”page. These selections might be presented using the ZeeTop technologydescribed herein, and might be recorded in a persistent user profile,along with various keywords, tags, RSS profiles, and similarinformation. When the user next displays this “news” page in theirbrowser, Zeetix technology might be used to select and displaycommercial content provided and paid for by a content supplier. The“widget” through which this commercial content is displayed mightcontain a rendering of the “value promise” made by the content supplier,along with a button, drop-down list, or similar interactive artifactwith which the user is invited to type, click, or similarly convey theuser's feeling that the displayed content was more or less valuable tothat user than the “value promise” made by the content supplier. If theuser indicated that the value was less than promised, a payment might beelectronically deposited in the user's account reflecting thedifference. The content supplier might be charged or refunded a possiblydifferent amount. The content supplier might, with the user'spermission, be informed of the user's feedback. The content suppliermight choose to exclude or include that individual user from futurecontent offerings from that content supplier. All of this behavior mightbe created, supported, and sustained using Zeetix technology.

While the invention has been described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, other embodiments as would be understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art are encompassed herein. All documentsreferenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.

The elements depicted in flow charts and block diagrams throughout thefigures imply logical boundaries between the elements. However,according to software or hardware engineering practices, the depictedelements and the functions thereof may be implemented as parts of amonolithic software structure, as standalone software modules, or asmodules that employ external routines, code, services, and so forth, orany combination of these, and all such implementations are within thescope of the present disclosure. Thus, while the foregoing drawings anddescription set forth functional aspects of the disclosed systems, noparticular arrangement of software for implementing these functionalaspects should be inferred from these descriptions unless explicitlystated or otherwise clear from the context.

Similarly, it will be appreciated that the various steps identified anddescribed above may be varied, and that the order of steps may beadapted to particular applications of the techniques disclosed herein.All such variations and modifications are intended to fall within thescope of this disclosure. As such, the depiction and/or description ofan order for various steps should not be understood to require aparticular order of execution for those steps, unless required by aparticular application, or explicitly stated or otherwise clear from thecontext.

The methods or processes described above, and steps thereof, may berealized in hardware, software, or any combination of these suitable fora particular application. The hardware may include a general-purposecomputer and/or dedicated computing device. The processes may berealized in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embeddedmicrocontrollers, programmable digital signal processors or otherprogrammable device, along with internal and/or external memory. Theprocesses may also, or instead, be embodied in an application specificintegrated circuit, a programmable gate array, programmable array logic,or any other device or combination of devices that may be configured toprocess electronic signals. It will further be appreciated that one ormore of the processes may be realized as computer executable codecreated using a structured programming language such as C, an objectoriented programming language such as C++, or any other high-level orlow-level programming language (including assembly languages, hardwaredescription languages, and database programming languages andtechnologies) that may be stored, compiled or interpreted to run on oneof the above devices, as well as heterogeneous combinations ofprocessors, processor architectures, or combinations of differenthardware and software.

Thus, in one aspect, each method described above and combinationsthereof may be embodied in computer executable code that, when executingon one or more computing devices, performs the steps thereof. In anotheraspect, the methods may be embodied in systems that perform the stepsthereof, and may be distributed across devices in a number of ways, orall of the functionality may be integrated into a dedicated, standalonedevice or other hardware. In another aspect, means for performing thesteps associated with the processes described above may include any ofthe hardware and/or software described above. All such permutations andcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferredembodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications andimprovements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled inthe art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention isnot to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood inthe broadest sense allowable by law.

All documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: at least oneprocessor; a program execution environment operable on at least onenetwork server; a first program for rendering a plurality ofvisualization layers that are representative of a spatial domain; adynamic tower of instances to run the rendering of at least onevisualization layer of the plurality of visualization layers of thespatial domain, the tower comprising: a first virtual system operable inthe program execution environment for executing a first portion of thefirst program on one level of the dynamic tower, wherein executing thefirst portion of the first program includes invoking a continuation; anda second virtual system operable in the program execution environmentfor executing a second portion of the first program on another level ofthe dynamic tower in response to the invoked continuation, wherein thesecond virtual system includes at least one capability required toexecute the second portion of the first program that is different fromall capabilities of the first virtual system, said second portion of thefirst program is necessary for the rendering of the plurality ofvisualization layers and wherein said invoked continuation performs alevel shifting operation to shift execution up or down on the levels ofthe dynamic tower wherein the lowest level of the dynamic tower providesa greatest common denominator of capabilities of the plurality ofvirtual systems and wherein the second virtual system has capabilitiesbeyond that of the lowest level of the dynamic tower.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein executing the first program includes interpreting thefirst program with a second program.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinthe first virtual system terminates upon completion of invoking thecontinuation.
 4. The system of claim 1, further including a datastoreaccessible by a plurality of networked servers for storing a pluralityof data entries for rendering in the at least one visualization layer.5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first virtual system and thesecond virtual system communicate with the datastore.
 6. The system ofclaim 4, wherein at a least a portion of the plurality of entries in thedatastore is immutable.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein executing thefirst program on the second virtual system comprises interpreting thefirst program.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two instancesof the dynamic tower of instances execute on different physical servers.